(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (ID-01), and U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) introduced legislation under the Congressional Review Act to stop Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule for heavy-duty vehicle emission standards that would require 30-40% of all new trucks be electric in just eight years.
This legislation is being introduced alongside U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), and U.S. Representative John James (MI-10) CRA to overturn the new light-duty and medium-duty emission standards announced last month that will require two-thirds of new cars to be electric in just eight years.
“Biden’s latest effort to push electric vehicles is completely out of line and will eliminate consumer choice, grow our reliance on foreign adversaries, directly impact transportation for Idahoans, and have lasting impacts on the U.S. supply chain,” Fulcher said. “Rural communities around Idaho are not able to implement the massive grid expansion that would be needed to support the electrification of heavy-duty trucks. These vehicles consume roughly seven times as much electricity on a single charge as a typical home does in a day and charging centers can require as much power from the electrical grid as a small city. Infrastructure aside, electric trucks cost roughly twice as much as diesel trucks, and these vehicles are not able to haul nearly as much. I am proud to lead this effort alongside my colleagues to stop the EPA from enforcing these irrelevant rules to meet Biden’s Green New Deal agenda.”
“These regulations are not only disastrous for our economy, but Alaskans know well that EV technology just doesn’t work in rural states—especially those with extremely cold temperatures and communities separated by thousands of miles where reliable transportation is a matter of life and death,” Sullivan said. “Make no mistake, this thinly disguised attempt to get rid of the internal combustion engine without congressional authority will only hurt hard-working families across the country, worsen the supply chain crisis, and deepen our reliance on Chinese Communist Party-controlled critical minerals. We’re urging every one of our colleagues to put the interests of American families above the demands of the radical environmentalists, and support our CRA resolutions overturning these ludicrous rules to ensure Americans and Alaskans continue to have access to the vehicles of their choice that actually work.”
“President Biden’s EV mandate is delusional,” Ricketts said. “This rule will make it harder for low-income families to buy a car or for rural families to get to their jobs. I promised Nebraskans I’d use every tool I have to fight this. Our bipartisan legislation will keep costs down, defend consumer choice, and protect us against becoming more dependent on the CCP.”
“Michigan is not afraid of the future, but we demand to be a part of it,” James said. “The Biden administration’s EPA tailpipe emission rule is another out-of-touch regulation that will crater the Michigan auto industry and decimate our middle-class and most vulnerable. Folks in my district simply can’t afford to spend an additional $12,000 on an expensive, unreliable EV. I’ve always said, if you want an EV, get an EV. But allowing the Biden administration to continue stifling consumer choice will only harm the American people. This is a de-facto electric vehicle mandate that will put all 77,580 manufacturing jobs in MI-10 at great risk of extinction. I am proud to lead this effort to prevent Biden’s rule from ravaging the livelihoods of thousands in Michigan and across the country.”
BACKGROUND
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 is proposing multipollutant emissions standards for light-duty passenger cars and light trucks and Class 2b and 3 vehicles (“medium-duty vehicles”). EPA estimates that due to this proposal electric vehicles (EVs) will make up two-thirds of new vehicles by MY2032, a whopping 67 percent of overall vehicle production. In 2022, EVs accounted for a mere 5.8 percent of new cars sold in the US. The administration unveiled its finalized light and medium-duty vehicles rule on March 20, 2024. See Ricketts and Sullivan’s joint statement on the announcement here.
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 build 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 its finalized heavy-duty vehicles rule Friday.
Current Co-sponsors: Reps. Troy Nehls, Tom Tiffany, Kelly Armstrong, John Joyce, Andy Ogles, Buddy Carter, Tim Walberg, Debbie Lesko, Troy Balderson, John Rutherford, Pete Stauber, Dr. Brad Wenstrup, Scott Perry, Dan Meuser, Richard Hudson, Mike Carey, Mary Miller, Diana Harshbarger, Randy K. Weber, Tony Gonzales, Guy Reschenthaler, Michael Bost, Chuck Fleischmann, Glenn Grothman, Brian Babin, D.D.S., Rick Crawford, Garrett Graves, Gary Palmer, Austin Scott, Tim Burchett, Elise Stefanik, Lauren Boebert, Aaron Bean, Dan Newhouse, Adrian Smith, John Moolenaar, Dr. Neal Dunn, Mike Collins, Jay Obernolte, and Glenn “GT” Thompson.
