CHEYENNE (WNE) — Senate Western Caucus Chair Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and 16 of their Senate Western Caucus colleagues sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young urging the Biden administration to withdraw its electric vehicle mandate.
Ending the EV mandate would give people out West the freedom to choose what car or truck they want to drive, a news release from the Western Caucus said.
“Electric vehicles are far too expensive and ill-equipped for the long drives and harsh terrain people in Wyoming and across the West travel every day,” Lummis said in the release. “Like most Green New Deal priorities, the EV mandate delivers a price hike to consumers and enriches China, which controls the renewables market. President Biden’s EV mandate is a disaster and needs to go.”
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed rule titled “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles” requires 67% of new light-duty vehicles and 46% of medium-duty vehicles to be electric by 2032.
The de facto EV mandate has already hit major roadblocks:
• Despite the Biden administration spending $7.5 billion to build out a nationwide EV charger network, just one charger has been built.
• Major automakers including Ford, Stellantis and General Motors have all announced they are reducing EV output due to a lack of consumer interest.
• Reliability issues have plagued EVs, especially in cold weather. Electric vehicles’ struggles in cold weather were highlighted in a study showing they lose 30% of their range in freezing conditions.
