The Environmental Protection Agency is sending two more Biden-era waivers to Congress for scrutiny under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Townhall has first learned.
The waivers allow California to set its own emission regulations related to “marine vessels and ports” that have an impact on the rest of the nation, particularly the supply chain.
“EPA is once again fulfilling our statutory obligation to submit California waivers to Congress. This is what the law requires, and it is our obligation to the American people to follow the best reading of the law every single time,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement on Wednesday.
“This is how we remain accountable to all Americans, instead of picking winners and losers like previous Administrations,” Zeldin added.
Specifically, one of the rules is dubbed “CARB at Berth,” which is aimed at regulating “ocean-going vessels.” According to the EPA, the waiver allows for “stringent port electrification requirements that increase shipping costs, strain port infrastructure, and increase supply chain pressures across the country.”
The second rule sent to Congress is "Commercial Harbor Craft Amendments," which the EPA argues “imposes burdensome and unrealistic zero-emission requirements on vessels,” adding in a press release that it's created “economic hardship” for the maritime sector.
This is far from the first time the EPA has sent California-based waivers to Congress for review, as the agency sent four other emissions-related waiver rules to the legislative branch in June, as those rules impacted consumer vehicles and tools.
In 2025, other waiver rules sent by the EPA ultimately led to President Donald Trump significantly clamping down California’s vehicle emission and electric vehicle policies. However, this led to legal challenges from the state of California, arguing that the CRA was used improperly.
“The President’s reckless, politically motivated, and illegal attacks on California continue, this time with his attempt to trample on our longstanding authority to maintain more stringent clean vehicle standards,” Attorney General Rob Bonta stated at the time.
“The President is busy playing partisan games with lives on the line and yanking away good jobs that would bolster the economy – ignoring that these actions have life or death consequences for California communities breathing dirty, toxic air,” Bonta continued.