More than 200 Republican lawmakers are pushing for forthcoming legislation to fund the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to include language that bars the agency from pursuing its efforts to shift the U.S. car fleet toward electric vehicles.
Their letter refers to a proposal from EPA that, if finalized, is expected to make two-thirds of new car sales electric in 2032.
“For over 100 years, the automobile has given Americans the freedom to live and work where they choose. EPA’s proposed mandate goes too far too fast and will take that freedom away,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter earlier this month to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
“Congress should enact the provision … which prevents taxpayer funding from being used to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the proposed rule,” they wrote.
The fact that Republicans oppose the rule is not surprising.
However, the letter highlights the difficulty ahead in negotiating a bill that will fund the government and be able to garner a majority in the Republican-led House and also get President Biden’s signature.
When it proposed the rule, the EPA highlighted its anticipated climate benefits. It’s expected to cut 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2055 — avoided emissions that would be equivalent to more than twice the U.S.’s total carbon dioxide emissions last year.