U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, both Republican members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, delivered a scathing critique of the Biden Administration’s newly finalized rule on light-duty and medium-duty vehicle emission standards, denouncing it as a governmental overreach aimed at phasing out internal combustion engines without proper congressional approval.
In a joint statement issued today, Senators Sullivan and Ricketts condemned the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule, saying it represents an audacious attempt by the Biden administration to dismantle traditional automotive technologies without the requisite backing from Congress. The senators vowed to introduce Congressional Review Act legislation to overturn what they termed as President Biden’s electric vehicle mandate.
“This rule is delusional,” the senators said in their statement. “This is the Biden administration’s attempt to get rid of the internal-combustion engine without congressional authority. Together, we will be introducing Congressional Review Act legislation to overturn Biden’s EV mandate. Congress must take action to keep vehicle costs down, protect our free-market economy, and defend consumer choice. We can’t allow Biden to make us more reliant on foreign adversaries like China who control the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles.”
The senators criticized the potential economic ramifications of the rule, arguing that it would exacerbate vehicle costs and hinder consumer accessibility to automobiles, particularly impacting working-class Americans.
They warned of potential energy and supply-chain crises, citing concerns over insufficient power generation, infrastructure, and critical minerals necessary for EV production.
“Access to a vehicle is a pathway out of poverty for tens of millions of working-class Americans,” the senators said in their statement. “Biden’s rule will make it harder for them and all Americans to buy and maintain a vehicle. This rule will also create an energy and supply-chain crisis. We lack the power generation, infrastructure, and critical minerals needed to make Biden’s mandate work. Most importantly, current EV technology will not work for states like Nebraska or Alaska. Extreme cold, isolated communities, and long-distance drives will make car graveyards a reality across America.”
Sen. Sullivan intends to introduce the CRA for the forthcoming heavy-duty vehicles rule, expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. Sen. Ricketts announced plans to introduce the CRA for the light- and medium-duty vehicles rule. These CRAs will be presented once both rules have been finalized and submitted to Congress.
The EPA’s rule on light-duty and medium-duty vehicles, unveiled Wednesday, marks the latest development in the agency’s intent to focus on climate change issues. The rule aims to set multi-pollutant emissions standards for vehicles starting with model year 2027 through 2032, with projections suggesting that electric vehicles could comprise up to two-thirds of new vehicles by 2032, something that is unlikely in Alaska.
Meanwhile, the EPA is poised to reveal its finalized rule on heavy-duty vehicles, targeting vocational vehicles such as delivery trucks and refuse haulers, as part of its “Clean Trucks Plan.”
