California’s authority to set environmental rules that are tougher than national standards had never been challenged by Congress. Until now.

The US Senate voted to block a California program banning gasoline-powered cars and other vehicles by 2035, sending the measure to President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature.

The Republican-majority Senate's decision to revoke California's planned ban on vehicles that run on fossil fuels defies congressional norms, and threatens the state's climate adaptation goals.