Bill would stop states from requiring new-vehicle sales be only zero-emission models.
IMAGE: Chevrolet
U.S. House representatives are scheduled to vote on a bill today that would prevent states from banning sales of gas-powered vehicles. The White House opposes the measure.
Introduced by Pennsylvania Republican John Joyce, it would amend the Clean Air Act to stop states from barring sales of new internal-combustion-engine vehicles.
The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, passed by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, is a reaction to California’s move to require all new passenger vehicle sales to be zero-emission models by 2035. The state has asked the Environmental Protection Agency for a waiver to enact that plan, and Joyce’s bill would prevent the EPA from granting it.
“California regulators shouldn’t have the power to determine what vehicles are sold to families in Pennsylvania,” Joyce said in a press release. ““One state should not be able to set national policy and Americans should not be forced into making purchases they are unable to afford.”
Due to the Biden administration’s opposition, Capitol Hill observers say the bill has little chance of passing.
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