CEA Applauds House for Acting to Overturn Imposition of Harmful California Vehicle Mandates

Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA), the leading energy and environmental advocate for families and businesses, applauded the House of Representatives for voting to rescind Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waivers granted by the Biden Administration in its final weeks that would have allowed California to implement de facto vehicle bans that would have affected almost 35% of the country’s population.

"CEA thanks the House for using the Congressional Review Act to reverse these last-minute EPA waivers granted by the Biden Administration in its final days in office. No government, and certainly not one from a state with as many failing, expensive policies as California, should be able to take away the ability of families to purchase the cars that meet their mobility needs at a price they can afford," CEA President David Holt said.

"These CRA resolutions are essential to protecting consumer freedom by reversing California's restrictive vehicle mandates including its passenger car rule, which effectively bans traditional vehicle sales by 2035 and places undue economic hardships on families and communities that can least afford it."

Twelve states passed legislation or regulations enabling them to adopt California’s Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) mandates, meaning the EPA waivers would force those mandates on more than a third of the nation.

"California's energy policies have consistently led to some of the highest energy costs in the nation across the board, hurting families and driving businesses to relocate to other states," Holt said. "Instead of governments decreeing what the market wants, Americans should be free to decide what meets their transportation and energy needs at the most affordable and reliable price.”

CEA supports electric vehicles. But they remain expensive compared to traditional vehicles, charging infrastructure is still limited, and their manufacture requires major quantities of critical minerals that are almost entirely under the control of China. Additionally, greater adoption is already increasing the strain on our electric grid, which is undergoing a generational increase in demand largely owing to the increased power requirements of AI and data centers.

CEA's 2023 "Freedom to Fuel: Consumer Choice in the Automotive Marketplace" report examines these challenges and how, if policy makers fail to address them and continue with costly mandates, consumers will pay more in overall transportation costs and the grid will face potentially catastrophic pressure.

CEA strongly supports House Joint Resolution 88, introduced by Rep. John Joyce (PA) which targets ACCII rules that require that 35% of new car sales in California be zero-emission by 2026 and 100% by 2035. The resolution is complemented by H.J. Resolution 87, introduced by Rep. John James (MI) and H.J. Resolution 89, introduced by Rep. Jay Obernolte (CA).

Those resolutions address California's restrictive emissions and other mandates on commercial vehicles and trucks, which would increase transportation and ultimately consumer costs by forcing onto the road vehicles that are not economically competitive with traditional heavy-duty vehicles and trucks.

“CEA supports all options that lead to affordable, reliable and cleaner energy including greater EV adoption. The one path that leads to the opposite results has been tread heavily in California. We urge the Senate to take up and pass these resolutions expeditiously."

Consumer Energy Alliance | https://consumerenergyalliance.org/