New, aggressive EPA emissions restrictions for gas-powered cars could force them to be phased out by 2032

By avagrace // 2024-03-28

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Amid crippling inflation and dwindling consumer interest in electric vehicles, the administration of President Joe Biden has announced new regulations that effectively mandate that the majority of new cars sold in the U.S. by 2032 be hybrids or EVs. The New York Times called the new final rule from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "one of the most significant climate regulations in the nation's history." (Related: Over 3,000 car dealers sign letter opposing Biden’s electric vehicle mandate: EVs "are stacking up on our lots.") The EPA's new regulations are focused on limiting the amount of pollution allowed from tailpipes over time, which Republicans have characterized as a de facto EV mandate due to its very restrictive nature. The new emissions regulations mandate that new cars built beginning in model year 2027 up to model year 2032 comply with increasingly strict emissions regulations. By 2032, a new light-duty vehicle that abides by the standards would decrease its climate emissions by nearly 50 percent to just 85 grams worth of emissions per mile, compared to existing standards that go through 2026. Emissions for medium-duty vehicles would drop by about 44 percent to 274 grams per mile. The EPA insists that the regulation is not a ban and that it will not mandate the sales of electric vehicles, and gas-powered cars and trucks can still be sold freely by 2032. Rather, it claims its regulation only requires that carmakers meet new higher emissions limits across their entire product lines. The new rule also mandates that only 64 percent of new vehicles sold in model year 2027 be gas-powered, with this percentage slowly creeping downward so that, by 2032, around 71 percent of new cars sold in the U.S. will be gas-powered.

House speaker calls the new regulation a "misguided EV mandate"

Republicans are concerned that the increasingly restrictive emissions limits for new vehicles is what makes this as a de facto EV mandate, as it would be easier for car manufacturers to simply abandon making new gas-powered cars that abide by the regulations and instead manufacture more hybrids and EVs. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson (R-LA) called the new regulation a "misguided electric vehicle mandate." "This is another radical, anti-energy crusade that will limit consumer choices, raise costs for American families and devastate auto manufacturers," he added. "More regulations and higher costs are the opposite of what our country needs. I urge him to reverse course and to do so immediately." Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) called the new regulation part of the Biden administration's ongoing effort "to ban gas-powered cars and force a national EV mandate." He has introduced a bill in the Senate "to reject this nonsense and protect consumer choice and free market competition." Former President Donald Trump has already promised to undo the rule if re-elected. "On day one, I will terminate crooked Joe Biden's insane electric vehicle mandate," he said. Several Democrats have also expressed concerns over the EPA's new tailpipe rule. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he has not ruled out voting with Senate Republicans in the coming weeks on a resolution to undo the EPA's new pollution standards rule. "I just know it's part of a conversation that we need to have," said Fetterman in response to a question on whether he would support rolling back the rule. "We need to respond to what seems to be the American consumer sentiment, what seems to be a diminished kind of enthusiasm, for EVs." Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has also expressed his desire to vote with the Republicans. In a statement, he accused the federal government of overreaching its authority in its attempt "to mandate what type of car or truck Americans can purchase for their everyday lives." "This reckless and ill-informed rule will impose what is effectively an EV mandate without ensuring the security of our supply chains from nations like China and without a realistic transition plan that addresses our domestic infrastructure needs," he added. Watch this video discussing how the EPA's new "pollution standards" for cars are a cover-up to eliminate gas-powered cars by 2032. This video is from Son of the Republic on Brighteon.com.

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House speaker calls the new regulation a "misguided EV mandate"

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