Biden’s Plans to Ban Gas Vehicles
Although there are no current plans to flat out ban gas-powered vehicles, the administration has introduced new EPA standards to limit the amount of gas cars and trucks sold after 2030.
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The ruling comes as an attempt to work towards Biden’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions in 2050.
GOP Lawmakers Are Fighting Back
Roughly 30 lawmakers have backed a bill through the Congressional Review Act. The law allows Congress to remove federal regulations with a majority vote.
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The GOP lawmakers, led by Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-GA, have big plans to block the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that were finalized last month.
The EPA Ruling Will Mean More EVs on the Road
The EPA ruling from the Biden administration this month will mean that a limited number of gas-powered vehicles will be allowed to be sold in the future. Instead, auto-makers will be pushed to make improvements on hybrids and sell more electric vehicles (EV).
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Many fear that regular citizens will be forced to purchase costly electric vehicles out of necessity. Critics of the ruling have said that this change will become a burden to Americans.
Pro-Energy Groups Backing the Fight
The American Energy Alliance, Americans for Prosperity, Eagle Forum, and Heritage Action for America have all joined Clyde’s fight for natural gas powered vehicles.
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These groups have claimed that the Biden administration has made it more difficult and more expensive to continue to use fossil fuels in the U.S.
Biden is Cracking Down on Vehicle Emissions
The new EPA regulations will force car manufacturers to reduce the amount of emissions from day drivers and commercial vehicles. This ruling includes greenhouse gases, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter from new cars beginning with the year 2027.
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The rules are said to be the strictest regulations on cars that the federal government has ever imposed.
Tackling the Climate Crisis
According to the Biden administration and the EPA, they have plans to cool down the looming climate crisis by reducing emissions from daily drivers.
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Currently, carbon dioxide from vehicles accounts for more than 1 million metric tons a year. Car fumes account for 30% of the total U.S. energy related CO2 emissions.
Strict Measures on the Amount of Gas-Powered Cars Sold in the Future
As sourced from official documents, the current plans from the Biden administration outline specific sales requirements for cars in the future.
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They plan on enforcing rules to ensure that 56% of light-duty car sales are battery electric and 13% being hybrid by 2032. These numbers represent huge changes in the current market.
Hopes That the EV Manufacturing Will Boost Good Union Jobs
A positive side effect from the boost in EV sales is the hope that many of these cars will be manufactured in America.
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Before many large auto-makers took their operations off-shore for cheaper labor, the industry supplied millions of good paying union jobs in the U.S.
American Automakers Coming Back
On March 20th, Biden made statements about the new EPA regulations. He congratulated his administration for helping bring American automakers back to U.S. shores.
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The goals moving forward in 2030 will help ensure that many of the electric vehicles and hybrids are constructed in U.S. factories.
Residents May Not Be Ready for Electric Vehicles
Although EV sales have been steadily climbing in the past few years, they still aren’t nearly as popular as new gas cars.
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Companies like Tesla and Polaris have certainly made EVs trendy. However, they often come with costly repairs and difficult to manage charging that makes them substandard for Americans who live in high-rises and people who need to travel long distances.
Republicans Hope To Slow the Push for EVs for Now
For the time being, Republicans hope to slow the frantic push toward an EV only state.
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If they’re bill passes, they will have effectively stopped Biden from allowing the EPA to manipulate consumer purchases.