A group of 26 U.S. senators said they will be introducing legislation aimed at curbing attempts by the Biden administration to mandate electric vehicle adoption by American drivers through Environmental Protection Agency regulations.
West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin joined with 25 Republican senators to create the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales, or CARS, Act. The legislation was expected to be introduced Thursday, Fox News reported.
The legislation is in reaction to proposed regulations announced by the EPA in April, which Fox called “the most aggressive for federal tailpile emissions ever crafted.”
According to a White House statement cited by Fox, “[i]f finalized and implemented, a staggering 67% of new sedan, crossover, SUV and light truck; up to 50% of bus and garbage truck; 35% of short-haul freight tractor; and 25% of long-haul freight tractor purchases could be electric by 2032.”
The CARS Act, if passed by the Democrat-controlled Senate and signed into law by President Joe Biden, would prevent those emissions standards from going into effect.
“Once again, the Biden administration’s rule-making process is being used to push a radical green agenda and pick winners and losers,” Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, who along with Nebraska’s Pete Ricketts, is leading the effort against the EPA’s proposal, said in a statement to Fox.
“Americans deserve to have access to affordable, reliable vehicles fueled by American-made energy products. However, the Biden EPA’s rule change would hurt everyday Americans while simultaneously helping China.
“Consequences of rules and regulations such as these restrict consumer choice and raise costs for the average American family,” he added
According to Kelley Blue Book numbers cited by Fox, electric vehicles cost more than 35 percent more than gas-powered vehicles in 2022, $65,291 to $48,094.
Consumers who paid the extra dollars for an EV likely found themselves with significantly less range than their neighbors with internal combustion engines, getting only 234 miles compared to an average of 403 miles for 2021 model years — a 42 percent difference.
In addition to the issues of cost and efficiency, critics have argued that the manufacturing process of EVs depends significantly more on Chinese companies.
“We cannot allow the EPA to continue to impose oppressive and careless regulations that increase our dependence on foreign adversaries like China and make everyday necessities more expensive for Americans and their families,” Machin said. “I waited in line for gas in the ’70s because America was too reliant on foreign oil, and I refuse to risk one day waiting in line for a Chinese battery.”
“This bipartisan legislation would rescind this federal overreach and protect access to traditional, affordable vehicles,” he said. “As chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will continue to lead the fight against EPA’s radical climate agenda to protect our energy, national and economic security.”
Republican Reps. Tim Walberg of Michigan and Andrew Clyde of Georgia introduced the House version of the legislation in July, Fox reported. The House version appears in its entirety below.
cars-act by The Western Journal on Scribd
The House has not yet brought its version of the CARS Acts to the floor for a vote, Fox said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
