House Passes Walberg Bill to Protect Automobile Choice

December 07, 2023

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(Office of Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI 5th)) Today (December 6, 2023), the House passed the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act with bipartisan support by a vote of 221-197. The legislation, introduced by Congressman Tim Walberg (MI-05) and Andrew Clyde (GA-09), would prohibit the Biden administration from implementing aggressive emission standards for light and medium-duty vehicles that limit consumer choice by requiring over two-thirds of all new vehicles to be electric by 2032. The CARS Act would also prevent the EPA from implementing future vehicle emissions regulations that would mandate certain technologies or limit the availability of vehicles based on engine type.

“Just last week, nearly 4,000 car dealers sent a letter to the Biden administration asking them to reconsider their EV mandate, citing a lack of demand from consumers. Today, with the passage of the CARS Act, the House showed we're listening,” said Rep. Walberg. "Instead of tying the hands of American car manufacturers and forcing families to purchase vehicles not conducive to their lifestyle and pricing many families out of the market, we should encourage consumer choice. The passage of the CARS Act is a win for not only the consumer but the entire auto industry, from the workers producing engines in my district to the dealers who can meet the demand for other vehicles. We have to be realistic, and while EVs may play a large role in the future of the auto industry, Washington should not discount other technologies like hydrogen, hybrids, and the internal combustion engine. The CARS Act has already received bipartisan support in the Senate, and they should act swiftly by bringing it up for a vote."

The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act

The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act would stop this executive overreach by preventing the implementation of regulations that seek to limit consumer choice, instead allowing consumers to choose the vehicle that best meets their needs. The legislation would:

Prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing its proposed rule titled “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles”
Prohibit the use of authority under the Clean Air Act to issue regulations that mandate the use of any specific technology or that would limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine type
Require the EPA to update any regulations that result in the limited availability of new vehicles based upon that vehicle’s engine within two years
End the EPA’s radical agenda, which is driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America’s auto industry to China

Full text of the bill can be found here.

Congressman Walberg recently penned an op-ed with Heather Reams on why Biden's electric vehicle strategy is not the silver bullet to reduce emissions.

Background
In April 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposed rule titled “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles.” This rule would set stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gasses for these vehicles, and the EPA has projected that due to these aggressive standards, over two-thirds of all new vehicles will be electric by 2032.

This proposal has raised serious concerns regarding the accessibility of affordable vehicles for the average American consumer. According to recent research from CRES Forum, the average EV owner’s household income is over $100,000, which only equates to about 31% of U.S. households, making electric vehicles an unrealistic option for the majority of American families. Supply chain shortages have also caused the prices of EVs to continue to rise, making electric vehicles further out of reach for consumers.

Congressman Walberg serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Education and the Workforce Committee. For more information on Walberg's work in Congress visit walberg.house.gov. READ MORE

Related Articles

Will there be an EV mandate? Will gas vehicles be banned? It's complicated (USA Today)
STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY H.R. 4468 – Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act (White House)
Support for H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act (U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee)
Coalition of nearly 60 groups urge support for CARS Act ahead of Wednesday vote (American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM))
Groups, including Illinois Corn Growers, applaud measure to protect automobile choice (The Center Square)

Excerpt from USA Today: It's unlikely the legislation can muster enough Democratic support to pass in the Senate, let alone get President Joe Biden's signature. But it is the latest development in months of Republican frustration over the Biden administration's policies promoting electric vehicles. They've argued the White House has used federal rulemaking to force Americans to give up their gas-powered cars and buy battery-powered ones.

Their anger stems from an April proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency that would set the strongest emission standards for new vehicles in the agency's history with the hope of slowing global climate change. As of 2021, transportation made up the greatest share of greenhouse gas emissions in the country.

The EPA estimates its rules would prompt more than two-thirds of new car sales to be electric by 2032, a rapid increase from their current share of around 8%.

"There's no hiding. The proposed rule is an electric vehicle mandate," said bill sponsor Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., on the House floor Wednesday. "Not only does this EV mandate display breathtaking government overreach into the auto industry, but it's also unaffordable, unattainable and unrealistic for American consumers."

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The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group representing most automakers selling cars and trucks in the U.S., has said the proposal is "neither reasonable nor achievable" because there is a global shortage of the critical minerals needed to build EVs and because there aren't yet enough chargers to prompt consumers to take a chance on them.

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Car companies are going to continue building gas-powered cars in the years to come, as a majority of consumers remain skeptical of EVs and because bigger SUVs and trucks remain their major source of profits.

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Given all the constraints, experts expect gas cars and trucks to be available until at least 2050, though a handful of states will phase them out as soon as 2035. To date, those states include California, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington.

Once purchased new, vehicles stay on the road for 12 years on average. So every new gas-powered car bought today will still be available in the used market for years to come. Plus, the EPA's rules are not yet finalized. READ MORE

Excerpt from American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM): A new letter from a coalition of nearly 60 national and state energy, fuel retailer, auto parts and agriculture groups was just sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries urging bipartisan support for H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act (CARS Act), ahead of Wednesday’s scheduled vote on the measure.

The letter—signed by groups including The National Corn Growers Association, the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), the Agricultural Retailers Association, the American Exploration & Production Council, the American Petroleum Institute (API), Energy Marketers of America (EMA), NATSO (representing America’s travel centers and truck stops), SIGMA: America’s Leading Fuel Marketers and the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)—raises the following points:

“Mandating a single-technology approach to reducing the carbon intensity of transportation is bad for consumers, farmers, energy independence, and national security.”
“American consumers should have a choice in the type of vehicle they buy. They balance cost, features, range, emissions footprint, and other factors to make a purchase decision. By focusing exclusively on electric vehicle technology, EPA is ripping that decision out of consumers’ hands and dictating the type of vehicle they can purchase.”
“The U.S. is the world's leading energy and agricultural provider, a fact that should be a source of pride. EPA’s proposed rule would discard decades of domestic economic and energy progress in favor of an industrial policy supporting geopolitical rivals controlling the vast majority of the battery and critical mineral supply chain.”
“The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023 would enhance competition among different vehicle technologies and fuels to reduce emissions. American consumers should have the choice to purchase a vehicle that supports their families’ needs, whether petroleum fuels, biofuels, electricity, or any other fuel type power a vehicle.”

Read the letter in its entirety here and see additional background including polling showing strong public opposition to EPA’s tailpipe rule here. READ MORE