Kennedy, Cruz oppose California climate rule that would raise prices for Americans

MADISONVILLE, La. - Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and colleagues in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging the agency to reject a California request that would impose high costs on the rest of the country.

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is seeking a waiver from the EPA because the agency is attempting to enforce a ban on the use of diesel-electric trains and require zero-emission trains by 2030 or 2035, depending on the type of train. The high costs and underdeveloped technology of zero-emission trains make this extreme rule unrealistic.

"We write to express our strong opposition to a pending request by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to authorize enforcement of its rule to ban proven and efficient diesel-electric locomotives," the senators began.

"The California rule is plainly unworkable. . . . [N]o economically-viable technology for full zero-emission operation on long haul service exists, short of the immense expense and infeasible logistics of running overhead electric wires across an entire network, which even CARB does not anticipate in its economic impact analysis," they added.

"The costs of the California rule would be staggering: CARB acknowledges an impact on . . . roughly half of the domestic Class I locomotive fleet, with compliance costs of nearly $16 billion through 2050," the senators wrote.

The senators explained that those costs would increase the financial burdens on everyday Americans.

"We urge you to protect interstate commerce with a complete denial of CARB's request," they concluded.

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) and Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) also signed the letter.

The full letter is available here.