Back to the Drawing Board: Congress has repealed California’s electric vehicle mandate

The ethanol industry received a potential break with Congress’s repeal of a Biden-era federal waiver that would have allowed California to implement an electric vehicle mandate by 2035.

California and eleven other states have now been sent back ot the drawing board on how ot make a shift towards more electric vehicles.
The mandate would have imposed fines as high as $20,000 on purchasers of gas-powered vehicles.

California has called the repeal “unlawful” and has now vowed to sue the Trump administration over the congressional action. Senate Environment Chair Shelley Moore Capito argues that the mandate would have limited consumer decision-making.

“Forcing certain states and certain customers to purchase a vehicle that they may not want or that they can’t find,” she explains. “It really eliminates what I think our country was built on, which is individual choice and making decisions for yourself.”

The repeal is being hailed as a victory by both the ethanol and petroleum industries, as well as many automakers.

Related Stories
East Tennessee Children’s Hospital officially becomes Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, marking a new era of compassionate, world-class pediatric care in Tennessee.
Delays on year-round E15 keep potential corn demand and fuel savings in limbo.
Analysts warn the closed U.S.-Mexico border is straining cattle supplies and packing capacity. StoneX and USDA data point to long-term industry shifts.
Michael Kelsey of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association joined us with the latest on the Oklahoma wildfires, recovery efforts for ranchers, and the role agriculture leaders are playing in supporting rural communities.
USDA’s 2026 Food Price Outlook projects food prices rising 3.1%, with higher beef costs and falling egg prices shaping consumer trends.
House Agriculture Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson says the 2026 Farm Bill is bipartisan, with 82% of the bills incorporated into it receiving bipartisan support.