05.01.24

Hoeven, Ricketts, Sullivan Introduce CRA Resolutions to Overturn De Facto EV Mandates

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, today helped introduce two bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions of disapproval to rescind de facto electric vehicle mandates being imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Together, these Biden administration rules would require up to two-thirds of new cars and nearly 40 percent of trucks sold in the U.S. to be electric vehicles (EVs) in eight years. Such federal overreach would increase costs for American consumers and limit consumer choice in purchasing new vehicles. Accordingly, Hoeven is cosponsoring and working to advance resolutions sponsored by:

  • Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) to overturn the EPA’s emissions standards for light and medium-duty vehicles, such as passenger cars and light trucks.
    • This resolution has 48 original cosponsors in the Senate.
  • Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) to repeal the EPA’s emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, including delivery trucks, public utility trucks, transit, shuttle, school buses and trucks typically used to haul freight.
    • This resolution has 42 original cosponsors in the Senate.

“The Biden administration’s commitment to heavy-handed, overreaching regulations leads to higher costs and less choice for American households,” said Senator Hoeven. “These two rules will not only make inflation worse, but also likely push the cost of new vehicles out of reach for many families and small businesses, resulting older, less efficient vehicles staying on the road longer. That’s a loss across the board and why we’re advancing resolutions to overturn these burdensome regulations.”

“President Biden’s EV mandate is delusional,” said Senator Ricketts. “This rule will make it harder for low-income families to buy a car or 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.”

“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 extreme cold temperatures and communities separated by thousands of miles where reliable transportation is a matter of life and death,” said Senator Sullivan. “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.”

This follows Hoeven’s efforts with Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to introduce and advance the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act, legislation to prevent implementation of the EPA light and medium-duty rule and preserve the availability of new vehicles for consumers. In December, the House passed the companion bill to the CARS Act, but the bill was recently blocked from consideration by Senate Democrats. Hoeven also joined his colleagues in pressing the EPA to withdraw the rule, citing its impacts on American consumers.   

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