For nearly 60 years, California has enjoyed the ability to set its own standards governing air pollution from automobiles, as long as they’re more stringent than the federal government’s. This rule, written into the Clean Air Act, was meant to recognize the state’s longstanding leadership in regulating air emissions.

The U.S. Senate undermined that authority on Thursday when it voted 51 to 44 to revoke a waiver the Environmental Protection Agency approved allowing the Golden State to implement and enforce a de facto ban on the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2035. The Senate also rescinded waivers allowing California to set stricter emissions standards for new diesel trucks, and mandating the adoption of zero-emission trucks.

Environmental groups quickly decried the votes, saying that C

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