WASHINGTON—The Biden administration today announced plans to use the coercive powers of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act to force a wholesale transformation of the automotive industry and require Americans to purchase cars they do not want to buy.
New tailpipe emissions limits that the EPA is considering would require up to two-thirds of new vehicles to be electric by 2032 and effectively ban new gasoline and diesel vehicles. EPA’s proposed rules are designed to compel the conversion of the U.S. auto fleet into electric vehicles.
Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of Heritage’s Center on Energy, Climate, and Environment, responded to the EPA proposal:
“The Biden administration’s plans to impose draconian new emissions limits would not only cost the American economy trillions of dollars over the life of the regulation, but would also destroy American jobs in the automotive and energy industries while lining the pockets of Chinese battery manufacturers.
“The new regulations are designed to force the mass conversion to electric vehicles by requiring 67% of all new cars sold to be electric by 2032—regardless of the cost. In an economy where used car and gas prices have skyrocketed, this new push for electric vehicles will only make vehicles less affordable while killing thousands of American jobs.
“This mandate of a ten-fold increase in sales of electric vehicles would affect Americans and manufacturers with negligible results for the climate because China has not committed to reducing emissions until 2027. In fact, China continues to build coal-fired power plants and has increased carbon emissions by more than 5,000 million metric tons over the past 16 years. In contrast, America’s carbon emissions have declined by over 1,000 million metric tons over the same period due to the use of clean natural gas.
“The EPA regulations would raise vehicle costs for Americans, give up energy independence to China, and have no environmental benefits. The Biden administration should withdraw its proposal.”
