{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-ricketts-lead-legislation-pushing-back-on-radical-electric-vehicle-mandate", "Crapo, Ricketts Lead Legislation Pushing Back on Radical Electric Vehicle Mandate", "2023-10-19", "2023", "2023-10", "Republican", "Senate", "ID", "Mike Crapo", "C000880", "www.crapo.senate.gov", "crapo", "https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C.--U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska) introduced the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act to counter the Biden Administration\u2019s radical environmental agenda and executive overreach by preventing the implementation of a proposed rule and other regulations that seek to limit consumer vehicle choice.\n\n\u201cOnce again, the Biden Administration\u2019s rule-making process is being used to push a radical green agenda and pick winners and losers,\u201d said Crapo. \u201cAmericans deserve to have access to affordable, reliable vehicles fueled by American-made energy products. However, the Biden EPA\u2019s rule change would hurt everyday Americans while simultaneously helping China. Consequences of rules and regulations such as these restrict consumer choice and raise costs for the average American family.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe EPA cannot continue to pick winners and losers,\u201d said Ricketts. \u201cThis legislation ensures the Biden administration can\u2019t prioritize their radical left agenda over affordable and reliable internal combustion engines. I\u2019ll always fight to protect Nebraskans\u2019 ability to choose what is best for them and their families.\u201d\n\nRepresentative Tim Walberg (R-Michigan) introduced the legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives in July. The bill was reported to the full House by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on September 1, 2023.\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration is willingly ceding American auto leadership to China by pursuing this misguided mandate,\u201d said Walberg. \u201cMany American families would simply be priced out of the auto market due to these quotas. On top of those issues, American manufacturing jobs will also be lost due to this government-mandated transition. We must block this rule and allow consumers and innovators to shape the future rather than bureaucrats. I look forward to my continued work with Senator Crapo as we fight for American auto leadership and consumer choice.\u201d\n\nCrapo and Ricketts are joined by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Mike Braun (R-Indiana) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in introducing the legislation.\n\n\u201cThe government should not be mandating to Americans what kind of cars and trucks they are allowed to buy, lease, and drive,\u201d said Capito. \u201cIn addition to high sticker prices and a lack of a sufficiently operational charging infrastructure, the Biden administration failed to take into account that electric vehicles currently rely on China for raw materials and on the same baseload power plants the EPA is simultaneously trying to close down. The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act prevents these misguided emissions standards from taking effect and preserves freedom for American consumers.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe cannot allow the EPA to continue to impose oppressive and careless regulations that increase our dependence on foreign adversaries like China and make everyday necessities more expensive for Americans and their families. I waited in line for gas in the 70s because America was too reliant on foreign oil, and I refuse to risk one day waiting in line for a Chinese battery,\u201d said Manchin. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation would rescind this federal overreach and protect access to traditional, affordable vehicles. As Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will continue to lead the fight against EPA\u2019s radical climate agenda to protect our energy, national and economic security.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration should not dictate which car Idahoans can purchase with their own hard-earned money, yet they are aiming to do just that with their radical green agenda,\u201d said Risch. \u201cThe Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act puts an end to this insanity by ensuring families can purchase a vehicle that suits their needs.\u201d\n\n\u201cFrom day one, this administration has been strangling the people of Wyoming with restrictive red tape and eroding their freedoms,\u201d said Lummis. \u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s latest executive overreach is a thinly-veiled attempt to force the people of Wyoming into driving expensive electric vehicles at a time when they\u2019re already struggling to keep up with soaring inflation rates. American families\u2014not the federal government\u2014are the ones best suited to choose a vehicle that meets their needs, and I\u2019m joining Senator Crapo in an effort to preserve consumer\u2019s choice.\u201d\n\n\u201cYet again, the Biden Administration is prioritizing its leftwing, costly Green New Deal agenda over what is best for families and small businesses in Alabama. This proposed rule is impractical and punitive for hardworking Americans who simply want to be able to choose the car that makes the most sense for their own individual circumstances, needs, and preferences. As President Biden continues to prove how wildly out of touch his reckless policies are with the harsh realities facing our nation\u2019s families, I will not stop fighting for common sense to prevail,\u201d said Britt.\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s radical far left policies are driving up costs, killing jobs, and crushing hard-working North Carolinians and families across the country,\u201d said Budd. \u201cI want to thank Senator Crapo for his leadership in introducing the CARS Act push back against the EPA\u2019s executive overreach and protect the ability of Americans to choose the vehicle that best meets their needs and that they can afford.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s climate zealots are intent on forcing unrealistic, expensive regulations on Americans designed to change the most basic facets of life, even the type of car they can buy,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cIt\u2019s absurd to think this somehow benefits middle-class Americans, who are already feeling the squeeze of \u2018Bidenflation\u2019 on their wallets. Not to mention, EVs barely work in the cold and lack the range to traverse a large rural state like North Dakota. We need to put a stop to this forced and dangerous agenda by prohibiting the EPA from any further attempts to mandate EVs.\u201d\n\n\u201cWorking families are already struggling under Joe Biden\u2019s inflation, at a cost of nearly $1,000 a month,\u201d said Tuberville. \u201cNow Joe Biden is trying to force them to buy electric vehicles, which cost about $60,000 on average. The American people can\u2019t afford this. Electric vehicles might be a good choice in San Francisco, but we shouldn\u2019t force them on Alabama.\u201d\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that Biden\u2019s EPA habitually imposes standards that do more harm than good to industry, and this latest tailpipe emissions scheme is the most aggressive yet. It reeks of central government planning that would be more at home in a nondemocratic country,\u201d said Hyde-Smith. \u201cThis legislation is our effort to check this executive overreach that would only further disrupt markets, add to an already injured supply chain, and limit consumer choices.\u201d\n\n\u201cPresident Biden has consistently pursued a radical environmental agenda at the expense of the American people,\u201d said Wicker. \u201cAt a time of unprecedented inflation, taxpayers cannot afford another attack on their pocketbooks. This legislation would stop the administration\u2019s misguided rule in its tracks.\u201d\n\n\u201cArkansans are paying more for food, energy and every day essentials. These new restrictions add fuel to the fire and will drive the cost of vehicles even higher. The CARS Act will rein in this overreaching policy and protect affordability and consumer choice,\u201d said Boozman.\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration\u2019s woke proposal to block the sale of gas powered cars benefits Chinese manufacturing and hurts America\u2019s industry,\u201d said Kennedy. \u201cI\u2019m proud to support the CARS Act to stop the EPA\u2019s radical rule, which would make the American dream more expensive for millions of hard working people in our country.\u201d\n\n\u201cImposing unworkable mandates on car manufacturers will mean higher costs and fewer choices for U.S. consumers, while resulting in older, less efficient vehicles remaining on the road,\u201d said Hoeven. \u201cThat\u2019s the wrong path forward for our nation. Instead of burdensome and costly federal rules, we should work to build a business environment that fosters innovation and choice in the marketplace.\u201d\n\nOn April 12, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft rule titled \u201cMulti-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles,\u201d which sets stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gasses for certain vehicles. This rule is the most aggressive tailpipe emissions proposal ever crafted and a de facto mandate for mass production of electric vehicles (EVs). The EPA has projected that, if finalized, over two-thirds of all new vehicles could be electric by 2032.\n\nThe average price of an EV is over $17,000 more than the average price of a gas-powered vehicle, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. The Administration\u2019s continued push for EVs threatens to hurt everyday Americans and costs auto workers their jobs while simultaneously helping China, given that China continues to dominate the EV supply chain.\n\nThe Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act:\n\nWould prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing or enforcing its proposed emissions rule;\n\nWould prohibit the use of authority under the Clean Air Act to issue regulations that mandate the use of any specific technology or that limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle\u2019s engine type. This includes any regulation prescribed on or after January 1, 2021;\n\nWould require the EPA to update any regulations since January 1, 2021, that result in the limited availability of new vehicles based on that vehicle\u2019s engine within two years; and\n\nWould end the EPA\u2019s radical agenda, which is driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America\u2019s auto industry to China.\n\nThe bill is supported by the American Petroleum Institute, American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, National Propane Gas Association, National Association of Convenience Stores, National Association of Truck Stop Operators, SIGMA: America\u2019s Leading Fuel Marketers, Idaho Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, Energy Marketers of America, American Exploration and Production Council, American Energy Alliance, Western Energy Alliance, National Taxpayers Union, National Association of Small Trucking Companies, Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Idaho Farm Bureau, American Farm Bureau, National Corn Growers Association, National Automobile Dealers Association, Idaho Automobile Dealers Association, Texas Automobile Dealers Association, Montana Automobile Dealers Association, Specialty Equipment Market Association, Heritage Action and Americans for Prosperity.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:49:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/crapo-ricketts-lead-legislation-pushing-back-on-radical-electric-vehicle-mandate"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0015591979026794, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}