25 attorneys general led by Kentucky’s Russell Coleman are challenging the Biden administration’s electric vehicle (EV) mandate in a new lawsuit, arguing the mandate oversteps into state affairs and limits consumer choice.
The lawsuit is in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new emissions regulations announced in March. The regulations aim to cut “fleetwide average carbon emissions” by 56% in eight years. This would force car manufacturers to sell more electric vehicles which the lawsuit claims is economically burdensome and hurts consumer freedom.
Daren Bakst from the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center on Energy and Environment called the new emissions rules “one of the most extreme rules ever finalized by a federal agency.” He warned that the rules could impact Americans’ ability to buy gas-powered vehicles.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman accused the Biden administration of putting a “radical green agenda” ahead of the American auto industry and its workers. Coleman pointed to the low demand for EVs and their high cost during a time of historic inflation.
Public opinion on electric vehicles is split. An Ipsos poll found that most Americans are unlikely to buy an EV due to cost and uncertainty. But President Joe Biden wants 50% of new auto sales to be electric vehicles by the end of the decade as part of the administration’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
We are slamming the brakes on President Biden’s radical green agenda that is punishing Kentucky families. https://t.co/kabP4RpI52
— Russell Coleman (@RCforAG) April 19, 2024
The EPA’s regulations are part of the administration’s plan to electrify the American vehicle fleet, which does not take into account American rival China’s control over the mineral supply chain needed for EV production.
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey known for his state’s successful legal challenges against federal overreach called the EPA’s emissions rules “legally flawed and unrealistic.”
