Arizona Republican lawmakers are fighting back against the “disastrous impacts” the proposed changes to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules will have on Arizonans.
Senate President Warren Petersen (R-Mesa) and House Speaker Ben Toma (R-Peoria) sent two letters to the U.S. EPA in opposition to the EPA’s proposed regulations which would mandate a transition to electric cars and trucks from model year 2027 through model year 2032.
Earlier this year, the EPA suggested the new regulations on Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles-Phase 3.
The EPA proposals would mandate significantly more new electric vehicle (EV) sales than the auto industry committed to less than two years ago. Also, the agency would set tailpipe emissions regulations for the 2027 through 2032 model years. While the limits would mandate any changes, if authorized and followed, they would necessitate the production of more electric vehicles.
The lawmakers argue that if these radical rules go into effect, two-thirds of all new vehicles sold in the United States are expected to be electric, costing the nation billions of dollars. They assert that these regulations will also hurt Arizona families and workers forcing them to buy vehicles they cannot afford and costing them jobs.
“Through these massive EPA regulations, the Biden Administration wants to force a transition from gas-powered vehicles, radically transforming our nation’s entire automotive industry and costing billions of dollars to achieve such lofty standards,” the lawmakers said.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Energy, and Water State Senator Sine Kerr (R-Buckeye) also weighed in on the proposed regulations urging the EPA to reject these rules.
“Not only does the production of these vehicles contribute to hazardous impacts on the environment, but their power source creates huge health and safety risks to drivers and first responders in the event of a crash or a fire. These radical regulations will have catastrophic impacts on lives and livelihoods, as well as an already strained power grid. We urge the EPA to do the right thing and protect our citizens by rejecting these rules,” Kerr said.
According to Vice Chairman for the Senate Committee on Transportation and Technology State Senator Frank Carroll (R-Sun City), these proposed rules are “completely out of touch with reality.”
“Forcing a transition to electric cars will make our country more dependent on China, threaten our national security, stretch our electric grid to the breaking point, make traffic crashes more dangerous and more deadly, increase the cost of goods, and kill countless American jobs. The federal government’s assumption that the average person can afford a $60,000 electric vehicle is completely out of touch with reality and will greatly jeopardize our economy,” Carroll said.
The lawmakers said these potential regulations showcase “the outrageous federal overreach and liberal extremism of the Biden Administration” and urge the EPA to reject these proposed regulations.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected]
Photo “Warren Petersen” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo “Ben Toma” by Ben Toma.Â
