An attempt by the Biden administration to set new emissions standards for electric vehicles was blocked by a bipartisan group of lawmakers on Friday.
In March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a final rule setting new emissions standards under the Clean Air Act that will require up to two-thirds of new cars sold by 2032 to be electric vehicles.
According to the EPA's final rule, the new standards will affect “light-duty vehicle manufacturers, independent commercial importers, alternative fuel converters, and medium-duty vehicle manufacturers and converters.”
The House of Representatives on Friday passed a Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution introduced by Rep. John James (R-Mich.) to block the implementation of “unrealistic regulations.”
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A Tesla Model 3 charges at a ChargePoint electric vehicle charging station on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2024, in Rhinebeck, New York. (Angus Mordaunt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The amendment passed with bipartisan support, with eight Democrats voting in favor.
Democrats who opposed the bill argued that the EPA rules were “critically important” to reducing emissions, but Rep. James called the Biden administration's new standards “devastating” on the House floor ahead of the vote.
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“The Biden-Harris Administration's EPA emissions rules are yet another outdated regulation that will destroy Michigan's auto industry and devastate our middle class and most vulnerable people,” James said in a press release after the bill passed..This would effectively mandate electric vehicles and put MI-10's 77,580 manufacturing jobs at great risk of disappearing. I'm grateful that the House passed this bill and ensured the Biden-Harris Administration doesn't destroy the livelihoods of thousands of people in Michigan and across the nation.”
Rep. John James (R-Mich.) speaks during a press conference in Washington, D.C., on May 1, 2024, along with former racing driver Mario Andretti and Rep. Victoria Spaatz (R-Ind.). (Anna Moneymaker)
“Vice President Harris has made it clear from the start that mandating electric vehicles and eliminating the internal combustion engine is one of her top priorities, and as she says, her values have not changed. The Biden-Harris EPA continues to impose extreme standards on vehicle pollutants and greenhouse gases in an effort to force Americans to switch to electric vehicles, taking away consumer choice, forcing unaffordable options on American families and workers, and crushing jobs,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in a press release after the vote.
President Biden speaks about the Baltimore Bridge Collapse in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2024. (Pedro Ugarte)
The bill's passage comes just one day after the American Energy Alliance and more than 20 other energy groups sent a letter to members of Congress urging them to pass the CRA.
“This emissions rule is a significant overreach by applying EPA's auto regulations in a novel way and shifting the auto market toward products that align with the Biden Administration's ideological preferences,” the groups said in a letter to lawmakers on Thursday.
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This bipartisan bill has been mirrored in the Senate by Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska, who introduced the Senate version of the CRA in May.
