First appearance on Fox: A coalition of 25 state attorneys general filed a legal challenge Thursday against the Biden administration over recent environmental regulations aimed at reducing gas-powered vehicle emissions and promoting electric vehicles.
The coalition, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman and West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrissey, filed a challenge against the Environmental Protection Agency in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, telling the court that the new rules are illegal. asked to declare. The EPA’s regulations impose “unfeasible emissions standards” on passenger cars and medium-duty vehicles, according to the filing.
“Conservative attorneys general will put the brakes on President Biden’s radical environmental policies that use the gravity of the federal government to force expensive EVs on families, workers, and farmers,” Coleman said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “I’m putting it on,” he said.
“Even if Americans wanted to buy electric cars, they can’t afford them at a time of historic inflation,” he continued. “We will take President Biden’s EPA to court to block this latest big government mandate and protect free markets.”
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Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman speaks at an event at Fancy Farm, Kentucky, on August 5, 2023. (Ryan C. Harmens/Lexington Herald-Leader/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Last month, the EPA, in a joint announcement with the White House, issued regulations that represent the most aggressive combined pollutant emission standards ever finalized. These standards were officially published on Thursday, opening the door to legal challenges and parliamentary action.
Although this regulation targets petrol vehicles, it is clearly designed to promote a wider range of vehicles. Nationwide spread of EVs And to a lesser extent, it also includes hybrid cars. President Biden said the rule, once finalized, will help ensure the U.S. reaches its goal of having 50% of all new vehicle sales be EVs in 2030.
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Under the standard, car manufacturers will be forced to Rapidly reduce greenhouse gas, hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter emissions from new cars, light trucks, large pickups and vans within two years of model year 2027 vehicles. The EPA said the rule would help “tack on the climate crisis” by reducing the transportation sector’s carbon footprint.
President Biden (left) and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan. (Getty Images)
Tailpipe emissions regulations will force automakers to increase production and sales of EVs, plug-in hybrids, conventional hybrids, and fuel cell vehicles. The EPA said that under the so-called “low-cost” model, automakers would be required to make 56% of light-duty vehicle sales to be battery electric vehicles by 2032, and an additional 13% to be hybrid vehicles.
“Kentucky is an agricultural state, and EVs are not robust enough to keep up with farmers’ production,” said Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Schell. “We have driven significant miles on Kentucky Department of Agriculture vehicles to serve rural communities, but we cannot stop on the side of the road to plug in. Kentucky is leading the fight to stop them. ”
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In addition to Kentucky and West Virginia, the legal challenges filed Thursday include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas and Louisiana. , Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.
Even after generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, while the average price of a gasoline subcompact is $24,000, according to the Automotive Innovation Coalition. (AP Photo/Ricci Pedroncelli, File)
The EPA’s regulations have been heavily criticized by state officials, Republican and Democratic lawmakers, agricultural industry groups such as the National Corn Growers Association, and energy groups such as the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute.
In 2023, 9.5% of new compact vehicle sales will be EVs, up from 7% in 2022 and 4.3% in 2021. According to the data This award was given by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group representing major automakers. At the same time, EVs remain more expensive than traditional gasoline cars.
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And the percentage of Americans who said they were considering purchasing an EV decreased from 55% to 44% compared to the previous year. According to a Gallup poll Conducted in March.
The EPA did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.
