A group of 25 Republican attorneys general have filed a lawsuit against President Joe Biden’s EPA over a new electric vehicle (EV) mandate. The coalition, led by Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, argues that the mandate is part of Biden’s “radical green agenda” that is hurting Kentucky families.
The EPA’s new rules, announced in March, require carmakers to reduce “fleetwide average carbon emissions” by 56% in eight years. This essentially forces these companies to make and sell more electric vehicles.
Critics argue that the new rules will be disastrous for the U.S. economy and will likely make already-high inflation even worse. Daren Bakst, director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center on Energy and Environment, called the emissions rules “some of the most extreme rules ever finalized by a federal agency.”
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 attorneys general believe that the Biden administration is sacrificing the American auto industry and its workers to push a radical green agenda. “Demand for EVs continues to fall, and even those who want to buy one can’t afford it amid historic inflation,” Coleman said in a statement.
Polls show that most Americans are not ready to embrace EVs. An Ipsos poll from last fall found that 57% of respondents were unlikely to purchase an electric car while only 31% said they were likely to buy one.
Despite this, Biden has been pushing for auto manufacturers to follow his climate agenda since he took office. In Summer 2021, he demanded that new auto sales be 50% electric by the end of the decade.
The high cost of EVs is a major concern for the attorneys general. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, who signed onto the lawsuit, said the EPA’s latest emissions rules are “legally flawed and unrealistic.”
“With the high prices of electric vehicles, this would have devastating effects in the daily lives of consumers—many of whom are already suffering from the burdens of historically high inflation,” Morrisey said. “This is an attack on rural America and rural Americans who are working really hard to make ends meet—they are going to get bludgeoned by this rule.”
The lawsuit aims to block the artificial push of high-cost, low-efficiency electric cars on Americans. The attorneys general believe that the government should allow EVs to become more affordable and practical through natural innovation rather than forcing them upon the American people.
