In The News
Weekly Column: New Biden Administration Regulation Will Make Cars Unaffordable for Southwest Michigan
Washington,
April 1, 2024
On March 20th, the Biden Administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a new rule imposing strict tailpipe emissions standards on the light-duty and medium-duty vehicle marketplace. The EPA itself projects the rule to result in 67% of new light-duty and nearly 50% of new medium-duty vehicle sales being electric vehicles (EV) by 2032. Last year, EVs made up less than 8% of new auto sales, with more than half being Teslas. Who is going to buy these government mandated vehicles? Why is the Biden Administration forcing automakers in Michigan and elsewhere in America to produce vehicles most consumers do not want? The EPA’s new rule is a blatant interference in the free market to coerce Americans to choose an electric vehicle, instead of the vehicle that would best suit their needs. When the federal government (especially the Biden Administration) picks winners and losers, consumers suffer for it. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average price of an EV was over $17,000 more than the average price of a gas-powered vehicle. This new mandate is not affordable and prices too many individuals and families across Southwest Michigan out of the car market. This increased cost would be in addition to the extra $10,000 families nationwide have spent over the last two years due to higher prices fueled by inflation. In December, I voted for the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act, which was introduced by my fellow Southwest Michigan Congressman Tim Walberg. This bill would prohibit an EPA rule such as this one from moving forward. Additionally, in May of 2023, I joined 150 of my colleagues in a letter opposing this proposed rule. Michiganders should be able to have a variety of affordable and reliable vehicle options, not merely a Washington D.C. approved vehicle. I will continue to fight this costly regulation so Southwest Michigan residents are not priced out of buying a new car. If you need assistance navigating a federal agency, please contact my office in Holland at (616) 251-6741 or in Portage at (269) 569-8595 and sign up for my newsletter at Huizenga.House.Gov. |