CASPER, WY – U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis, both R-WY, joined Senators Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in introducing bipartisan Congressional Review Act legislation in the Senate to block the Biden administration’s electric vehicle mandates. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized new emissions regulations which would require up to two-thirds of new cars and nearly 40% of trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric vehicles (EVs) in eight years.
“President Biden is trying to force-feed American drivers expensive electrical vehicles they don’t need, they don’t want, and they can’t afford,” said Barrasso. “In Wyoming, we drive larger vehicles longer distances than most other states. We should be able to make our own decisions about what works best for our needs. Our legislation will kick Washington out of the driver’s seat and repeal this reckless policy.”
“The federal government has no business telling the people of Wyoming which vehicles they should or shouldn’t own, yet this administration keeps trying to force Wyoming drivers to purchase expensive electric vehicles that are ill-equipped to navigate our harsh terrain in order to score political points with climate activists,” said Lummis. “Instead of giving handouts in the form of tax credits to its wealthy base, this administration should focus on preserving consumer choice and unleashing American energy, because the harsh reality is that our grid cannot handle this Administration’s unobtainable EV mandates. I will continue to work with my colleagues to protect Wyoming consumers from these unfair mandates and defend their freedom to own the vehicle of their choosing.”
BACKGROUND:
Title II of the Clean Air Act (CAA) addresses transportation-based sources of air pollution emissions via the tailpipe by seeking to reduce vehicle emission, as well as fuel. Within Title II, CAA section 202 provides the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the authority to set emission standards for new motor vehicles.
Beginning in 2010, EPA began to interpret CAA section 202 as providing the Agency authority to regulate greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions from cars and trucks. Between 2010 and the end of 2022, EPA had promulgated three rounds of GHG standards for light-duty vehicles covering model years 2012–2026, and two rounds of GHG standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks covering model years 2014–2027.
Light and Medium Duty Vehicles Rule: On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, EPA announced the “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium Duty Vehicles,” a proposed rule to reduce emissions from light-duty and medium-duty vehicles starting with model year (MY) 2027 through MY2032. In this rule, EPA proposed multipollutant emissions standards for light-duty passenger cars and light trucks and Class 2b and 3 vehicles (“medium-duty vehicles”). EPA estimated that, due to this proposal, electric vehicles (EVs) will make up two- thirds of new vehicles by MY2032, a whopping 67% of overall vehicle production. In 2022, EVs accounted for a mere 5.8% of new cars sold in the US. The administration unveiled their finalized light and medium-duty vehicles rule March 20, 2024.
Heavy Duty Vehicles Rule: On Wednesday, April 12, 2023, EPA announced the “Greenhouse Gas Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3” which would apply to heavy-duty vocational vehicles such as delivery trucks, refuse haulers, dump trucks, public utility trucks, transit, shuttle, school buses and trucks typically used to haul freight. These standards built on the Heavy-Duty NOx standards for MY 2027 and beyond, which EPA finalized in December 2022, representing the third phase of EPA’s “Clean Trucks Plan.” The administration unveiled their finalized heavy-duty vehicles rule
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