Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday slammed the brakes on her previous support for banning gasoline-powered cars, vowing to “never” tell Americans “what car they should drive.”
Harris, 59, made the remarks at a campaign rally in Flint, Michigan, where she promoted policies to “retool existing factories” and support innovation in “advanced batteries” and “electric vehicles.” He also promised to move forward.
“Michigan, let me be clear: contrary to your claims, I will never tell you what kind of car you have to drive,” the vice president said.
The Vice President's declaration is clearly a response to the problem. Trump campaign advertisement In Michigan, the state claims that “Kamala Harris wants to eliminate all gas-powered cars.''
“Crazy but true,” the ad continues. “Harris’ electric-only push is a huge failure, and Michigan autoworkers are paying the price.”
Harris championed electric vehicle mandates during her time in the Senate, but her campaign now says she opposes them.
As a California state senator, the Democrat co-sponsored a bill in April 2019 that would ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars by 2040.
harris supporter Zero Emission Vehicles Act 2019 Introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Rep. Mike Levin (D-Calif.), it was announced as a “bold plan to move America to 100% zero-emission vehicles.”
The bill would force car companies to transition away from fossil fuels by requiring 50% of new passenger cars sold to be zero-emission vehicles by 2030. This obligation will increase by 5% each year until 2040, when 100% of new cars sold will be zero-emission vehicles. Must be powered by electricity or hydrogen.
“After the 2040 model, [Environmental Protection Agency] “The Administrator may issue an injunction restraining an automaker from manufacturing any passenger vehicle other than a zero-emission vehicle,” the text of the bill, which was sponsored by Harris, reads.
When Harris began her short-lived 2020 bid for the White House, her campaign website touted even more aggressive standards, reporting that she had pushed for a ban on internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035. washington free beacon.
In March, the Harris-Biden administration finalized a crackdown on gasoline vehicles, prompting the EPA to enact regulations that will result in more than two-thirds of cars and light trucks sold by 2032 being electric or hybrid. It is expected to be a car.
EPA regulations' tailpipe pollution limits mean that by 2032, 56% of new cars sold in the U.S. will be electric vehicles, and 13% will be plug-in hybrids or other partially electric vehicles, despite relatively low demand. It is planned to be.
“But this is what I will do,” Harris told supporters in Michigan. “I will invest in communities like Flint. We will renovate existing factories, hire locally and work with unions to create good-paying jobs.”
“My plan is to invest in the industries that built America, including steel, steel manufacturing and America's great auto industry,” the Democratic candidate said. “And we will ensure that the next generation of breakthrough products, from advanced batteries to electric vehicles, are not just invented, but built, right here in America, by American union members. Masu.”
Michigan, a key battleground state, is scheduled to cast its 15 electoral votes in November.
Ms. Harris leads Mr. Trump in the Wolverine State by less than 1 percentage point, according to RealClearPolitics' latest polling average.
