Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) is a two-part policy that both creates more stringent emissions standards for motor vehicles and requires increasing levels of vehicles sold in California to be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs). It is an expansion of California’s original Advanced Clean Cars policy enacted in 2012. Although California is the only state allowed to create its own emissions standards that are stricter than federal ones, Section 177 of the Clean Air Act has authorized other states to choose to opt in to California’s emissions standards.
Under the Clean Air Act, California is only allowed to enforce this rule with a federal waiver of preemption from the EPA. The Trump administration and current congress have recently targeted the agency’s waivers, which were approved by the Biden administration, as a means of stopping the regulation.
As of June 2025, the waiver of preemption required for the California and other US states to enforce Advanced Clean Cars II rule has been revoked by the federal government, which should prevent US states from enforcing the rule. The US Congress and EPA utilized the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to revoke the waiver, ignoring warnings from the Government Accountability Office that the EPA’s waiver of preemption for the rule was not subject to the Congressional Review Act.
Repealed
Repealed
In 28 May statements, General Motor's CEO Mary Barra supported the US Senate's recent vote to overturn the Advanced Clean Cars II and Advanced Clean Trucks rules. Barra stated that "We tried to work at both the state and federal level, but what happened in Congress last week was necessary to protect the customer." Previously, General Motors asked its employees to directly support the Senate's vote to overturn the rules, according to a 17 May Wall Street Journal article.
In a 12 June press release, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers issued a joint statement following the passage of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution overturning the EPA’s 2024 authorization of California’s 2035 100% electric vehicle (EV) sales target. The two industry leaders described the move as a “win for the American people” and a measure to “protect national energy security,” while criticizing California’s EV mandate as “extreme and restrictive.”
American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson and American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers issued a joint statement on 22 May supporting the federal repeal of California’s Advanced Clean Cars II policy. In their statement, they claimed that the ruling will protect US consumers and energy security, stating that policymakers can not dictate what cars Americans buy or ban internal combustion engine vehicles.
The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers Association announced a new ad campaign on 14 April that advocates to remove California's legal authority to enforce the Advanced Clean Cars II policy. The Advanced Clean Cars II policy requires participating states (12 US states have currently adopted the rule) to reach 100% zero emission vehicle sales by 2035.
General Motors, Stellantis, Toyota, and the CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation issued statements on 1 March supporting the Transportation Freedom Act. The bill would repeal existing emissions standards for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty transport in the US, and also remove California and other states' authority to enforce zero-emission vehicle sales targets.
Specifically, Title II of the Transportation Freedom Act would repeal existing light- and medium duty GHG emissions standards for passenger cars and trucks MY2027+, phase 3 GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty motor vehicles MY2030+, and corporate average fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks MY2027+ and heavy duty trucks MY2030-2035. New, less stringent GHG emissions standards would be drafted by the current EPA. Title III would remove the waivers granted to California to enforce its own emissions standards and zero-emission vehicle sales targets, and also repeal Section 177 of the Clean Air Act, which enables other US states to follow California's emissions standards. These actions would prevent California and all other participating US states from enforcing the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, Advanced Clean Cars II rule, Advanced Clean Fleet rule, and other California-led policies.
On 21 January, the CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, John Bozzella, released a statement that appeared to support US President Trump's Executive Order terminating waivers for state-level emissions standards. This affects the Advanced Clean Cars rule, which was adopted by 12 US states and would require all new light-duty vehicles sold in participating states to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. In the statement, the Bozzella stated that California's autos regulations were "by any measure not achievable."
On 18 December, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation released a statement broadly opposing the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rule. The ACC II rule is a regulation that states can adopt to require automakers to sell increasing amount of zero emission vehicles each year, reaching 100% in 2035. The Alliance described the rule as infeasible and stated that "some states should exit the program." The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently granted California and participating states a waiver authorizing their enforcement of the rule, but it is expected that the incoming Trump administration will remove this authorization. The Alliance's statements appear misaligned with their member company Stellantis, which in 2024 struck an agreement with California regulators to comply with the ACC II regulation until 2030, even if the rule becomes "unenforceable due to the incoming administration".
In an October 3rd press release, Advanced Energy Economy opposed the provisions in Virginia Governor Youngkin’s released Energy Plan that propose to weaken elements of the state’s 2020 climate law. As proposed, the Energy Plan aims to remove Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Advanced Clean Car standards, in addition to supporting a long-term role for fossil fuels.
In a September 29th press release, Advanced Energy Economy supported New York Governor Hochul’s directive to the State Department of Environmental Conservation to formally adopt the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) rule. New York is the second state to move forward with adopting the rule, which California finalized in August 2022 and establishes a 2035 ZEV target for new sales of passenger cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs.
The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) responded to the California Advanced Clean Cars II rule requiring 100% of all light-duty vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2035. The trade association strongly opposes the measure, stating “It’s not the place of state regulators or government officials to try to put critical American industries out of business” and “A radical ban on gas and diesel vehicle sales will have devastating impacts on consumers, U.S. energy security and the manufacturing economy.”
In an August 25th press release, the group Advanced Energy Economy supported the California Advanced Clean Cars II rule requiring 100% of all light-duty vehicle sales to be zero-emission by 2035 and advocated for other states to adopt California’s standards.
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