MISS. LAWMAKERS DEMAND EPA RESCIND ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES
Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Kelly, Guest & Ezell Register Opposition to Rule Targeting Pickups, Trucks, Tractors, Semis and Buses
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) and U.S. Representatives Trent Kelly (R-Miss.), Michael Guest (R-Miss.), and Mike Ezell (R-Miss.) are among 157 lawmakers demanding the Biden administration overturn its de facto electric mandate on trucks, tractors, buses and semis.
The demand was issued in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan regarding the final rule titled, “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3,” which was published on April 22, 2024.
“This final rule, which encompasses heavy-duty vehicles ranging from delivery trucks and school buses to tractors and semis, would disrupt the heavy-duty truck industry by forcing the broad adoption of heavy-duty zero emission vehicles on an extremely aggressive timeline, despite these vehicles currently being less than 1% of sales,” the lawmakers wrote. “According to a recent study, it would cost nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone to fully electrify the U.S. commercial fleet, which does not include the expense of purchasing new semis. Additionally, the cost for an electric semi-truck averages over $400,000 while a comparable diesel Class 8 truck costs around $180,000 – meaning electric trucks cost an average of 122% more than a normal semi.”
“Our farmers and agricultural industry will be especially hurt by this new mandate. According to the latest agriculture census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 3,161,820 trucks (including pickups) on over 1.4 million farms and 3,784,743 tractors on over 1.5 million farms that would see higher equipment costs and tighter margins due to this misguided rule. These numbers also do not account for the small, independent truckers, trucking companies, and truck dealerships throughout the U.S. that will be impacted. Not only would this rule harm consumers, but it would also exacerbate consolidation by effectively forcing our small trucking companies out of business that cannot afford this hasty transition to electric or hydrogen powered trucks,” the lawmakers added.
Twenty-nine Senators and 128 Members of Congress signed the bicameral letter, which is available here.
The American Trucking Association supports the lawmakers’ effort to turn back the rule, which it described as “unworkable.”
Wicker and Hyde-Smith are original cosponsors of the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (S.3094) which would prohibit the EPA from moving forward with its EV mandate for passenger cars and trucks, or any similar future rules that would limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine type.
###