WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) in sponsoring the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act to counter the Biden Administration’s radical environmental agenda and executive overreach by preventing the implementation of a proposed rule and other regulations that seek to limit consumer vehicle choice.
“Working families are already struggling under Joe Biden’s inflation, at a cost of nearly $1,000 a month,” said Coach Tuberville. “Now Joe Biden is trying to force them to buy electric vehicles, which cost about $60,000 on average. The American people can’t afford this. Electric vehicles might be a good choice in San Francisco, but we shouldn’t force them on Alabama.”
The legislation is also supported by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Jim Risch (R-ID), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Katie Britt (R-AL), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Lee (R-UT), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), John Barrasso (R-WY), John Boozman (R-AR), Steve Daines (R-MT), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Kennedy (R-LA), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Tim Scott (R-SC), John Hoeven (R-ND), Mike Braun (R-IN) and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Representative 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.
BACKGROUND:
On April 12, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft rule titled “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles,” 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.
The 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’s 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.
The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act:
- Would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing or enforcing its proposed emissions rule;
- Would 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’s engine type. This includes any regulation prescribed on or after January 1, 2021;
- Would require the EPA to update any regulations since January 1, 2021, that result in the limited availability of new vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine within two years; and
- Would end the EPA’s radical agenda, which is driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America’s auto industry to China.
The 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’s 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.
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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