By BETHANY BLANKLEY | THE CENTER SQUARE
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor and attorneys general from 24 other states are suing to block a Biden administration emissions rule imposed on vehicle manufacturers.
Led by Kentucky, the 25 states petitioned the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to block an Environmental Protection Agency rule, “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium- Duty Vehicles,” from going into effect.
They argue the final rule “exceeds its statutory authority, is arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, and not in accordance with the law.” The lawsuit asks the court to declare it unlawful.
The EPA proposed the rule through the Clean Air Act to require car manufacturers to create “zero-emission vehicles and plug-in-hybrid electric vehicles in compliance with calculations, medium-duty vehicle incentive multipliers, and vehicle certification and compliance.”
The rule also implements regulations related to controlling “refueling emissions from incomplete medium-duty vehicles, and battery durability and warranty requirements for light-duty and medium-duty electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles” as well as aftermarket fuel conversions, importing vehicles and engines, evaporative emission test procedures, and test fuel specifications for measuring fuel economy.
It’s set to become effective June 17.
The coalition argues the rule “imposes unworkable emissions standards on passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles” and the EPA is “attempting to use the weight of the federal government to force manufacturers to produce more EVs.”
The rule’s stated goal is for manufacturers to produce enough electric vehicles to account for nearly 70% of cars available for sale within 10 years. The mandate is being pushed as the U.S. does not have the electric grid or infrastructure to support it, critics argue, and as the majority of Americans oppose purchasing electric vehicles. Last year, EV sales in the U.S. were 8.4% of total vehicle sales despite millions in federal rebates and subsidies offered.
Forcing a transition to EVs would “devastate the American economy, threaten jobs, raise prices and undermine the reliability of the electric grid,” the coalition argues.
“The Biden Administration is willing to sacrifice the American auto industry and its workers in service of its radical green agenda,” Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman said. “We just aren’t buying it. Demand for EVs continues to fall, and even those who want to buy one can’t afford it amid historic inflation.”
The lawsuit was filed as 50% of likely voters surveyed say the Biden administration should reduce its electric vehicle sales target and car dealers say consumers’ interest in buying EVs has waned, a recent The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll found.
It also comes after more than 4,000 dealerships from every state sent a letter to President Joe Biden asking him to “tap the brakes” on his proposed EV mandate. After receiving no response, in January, more than 5,000 dealers sent a second letter urging the president to “slam the brakes,” The Center Square reported.
The EPA’s push comes as car manufacturers’ profits have dropped, with many announcing layoffs and scrapping their proposed EV production plans.
Ford Motor Company lost roughly $4.7 billion on EVs in 2023 and is projected to lose between $5 billion and $5.5 billion this year, Fox Business reported.
Tesla announced it is cutting 10% of its global workforce after reporting an 8.5% year-over-year decline in first-quarter deliveries. Its stock price also dropped over 30% so far this year, “erasing billions of dollars in market capitalization,” The New York Times reported.
GM also scrapped its plan to build 400,000 EVs, delayed producing its EV pickup trucks at a Michigan plant by one year, and dropped a $5 billion plan to jointly develop EVs with Honda Motor, Reuters reported.
According to a new Gallup poll, only 35% of Americans say they might consider buying an EV in the future. Interest among those who were seriously considering purchasing an EV dropped from 55% in 2023 to 44% today; opposition to purchasing an EV increased from 41% to 48%.
Joining Coleman are attorneys general representing the states of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Ah, to burn coal instead of dirty oil. Recently a company service truck showed up at our house. My daughter had passed him going 40mph on the highway. He said because of unexpected head wind. Fortunately he carried a sizeable diesel generator in the bed to charge while he worked.
Imagine that we used electric vehicles for the last century. Now imagine that someone invents the internal combustion engine. It’s half the weight, half the price, does a quarter the damage to roads, can be refueled in one tenth the time, has four times the range in all kinds of weather, and does not rely on non-renewable, environmentally damaging rare earth elements to build it. Think of how people would rush to such technology even without big government subsidies.
We used to build go-carts in the 70s from lawnmower engines. How times have changed.
I hope car manufacturers are smart enough to make sure older vehicles have access to parts. People like me are going to need them.
On EBay you can find almost any car part, including carburetors ( last time I looked). The real concern will be finding people who understand the process.
The manufacturer’s will build whatever California dictates.
The manufacturer’s WHAT, ‘frank’? What of the manufacturers will build?
Or are you so ignorant that you know the difference between the possessive and the plural?
Aside from your 2nd grade grammar, the day when the rapidly degenerating People’s Marxist Republic of Commiefornia determines ANYTHING outside of Commiefornia are rapidly drawing to an end, as most of the rest of the nation realizes just how insane and suicidal most of Commiefornia’s policies actually are in practice.
I saw that.
I briefly considered trying to explain supply and demand, market economics, and the collapsing EV market.
But then I realized I had belly button lint and better things to do.
The manufacturer’s WHAT, ‘frank’? What of the manufacturers will build?
Or are you so ignorant that you do not know the difference between the possessive and the plural?
Aside from your 2nd grade grammar, the day when the rapidly degenerating People’s Marxist Republic of Commiefornia determines ANYTHING outside of Commiefornia are rapidly drawing to an end, as most of the rest of the nation realizes just how insane and suicidal most of Commiefornia’s policies actually are in practice.
The pollution from burning steer excrement will asphyxiate california eventually…
Grandpa Joey Hunter and uncle Frank were recently spotted on the street in Delaware flippin the bird to protesters as they were speeding around in Joey’s “green corvette” he nearly lost (as well as his family) in a house fire.
It’s pretty clear at this point that that the goal is to do such severe and permanent damage to infrastructure that everyone is dependent upon the federal government just to live.
It’s tiresome to see this process repeated on almost every issue. POTUS (either party) makes a decision and 1/3 of the states sue.
This is why we were founded as a Republic and the federal government had heavy constraints put on them. Each state should decide these issues. Not dictates from DC.
The due date is coming.
More people every day find fault with the feds and their clamp down on our freedoms.
Grandpa blood stains will ignore whatever a court decides. Totally lawless now
How about States set their own regulations for what air emissions are allowed. There are State rights vs Federal rights. Just like what Masked Avenger said.
He lucky like my child is learning he learned American history to know there are State rights vs federal rights. From what I learned during her civil war course emissions sounds like a state rights issue what each state would decide they allow not one that the USA federal government can dictate.