[matthewowen]

Aren't catalytic converters installed to meet federal emission standards? They might not be explicitly mandated, but in practice you can't meet the standards without one. In which case it's just a factually false statement.

[garmaine]

California standards are harder to meet than federal.

[matthewowen]

OK, but can you meet federal standards without a catalytic converter?

[garmaine]

You need a catalytic converter that meets a special requirement in CA. There are in fact cars with catalytic converters sold in other states that will not pass smog test in CA without upgrading the catalytic converter. They’re not all the same.

[Scoundreller]

No