Rep. Crank Requests Common Sense Conditions on California Spending
WASHINGTON – As first reported by E&E News, Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05) sent a letter to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations requesting that Congressional leaders include conditions in any legislation responding to the recent California wildfires.
Excerpts from the letter read:
“As you consider disaster aid for the Los Angeles wildfires, we write to unequivocally voice our support for including common sense conditions in any supplemental appropriating legislation… We strongly encourage the Committees on Appropriations to include provisions repealing the California Air Review Board’s (CARB) Clean Air Act (CAA) waivers granted under the Biden Administration that the state has used to prioritize harmful climate policies over responsible wildfire management.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) granted CARB waivers that allow California to require that manufacturers increasingly sell medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEV). By 2035, California law requires that ZEVs account for 75% of heavy-duty truck sales, such as fire trucks. Even though California law allows an exemption for emergency vehicles, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) saw fit to purchase an electric fire truck for $1.7 million2 rather than a traditional gas or diesel fire truck, which has an average cost of $800,00 to $1 million. 3 For the 2025-2026 budget year, LAFD requested over $96 million to replace their entire fleet and $1.9 million to fund mechanic positions to keep assets emergency-ready.4 LAFD, Los Angeles, and California must prioritize the safety of their residents —not the reckless use of public dollars to comply with self-imposed, destructive climate mandates.”
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Los Angeles has also been guilty of negligently managing its budget and abusing CAA waivers while failing to prioritize fire prevention.8 Despite facing a massive budget shortfall9 , the city continues to obligate $38.6 million towards electric fleet replacement and adding new electric vehicles rather than ensuring LAFD has the funding needed to operate at full capacity.10 Before the disastrous wildfires broke out, LAFD Fire Chief Kristin Crowley sent a memo to the city expressing concerns that the city’s $7 million cut to overtime “severely limited the Department’s capacity to prepare for, train for, and respond to large-scale emergencies, including wildfires.”11 As the fires surrounding Los Angeles near containment and early cost estimates put the damages at $275 billion12, Congress needs to put conditions on California receiving emergency supplemental assistance that force the state government to prioritize public safety above all else.
Read the full letter here. [link]
Background:
- EPA can grant California Clean Air Waivers under section 209(b) of the Clean Air Act, allowing them to set their own higher standards for vehicle emissions
- California has received over 100 federal preemption waivers since the enactment of the Clean Air Act and are seeking to use them to ban internal combustion engines for more expensive electric vehicles
- In the 118th Congress the House passed the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchase Act to prevent EPA from issuing waivers that try to ban or limit the sale of internal combustion engines
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