The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed new emission regulations for gas-powered vehicles to push for electric vehicles (EVs). Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has led a coalition of fellow attorneys general against the proposal in a recent letter, saying it requires "a dangerous, expedited timeline to shift to electric vehicles [that] will harm consumers and wreak havoc on our energy infrastructure."
In April, the EPA stated they seek to have anywhere from 54% to 60% of new vehicles sold be electric by 2030 and up to 67% by 2032.
Is that doable?
AG Moody's letter gives a resounding "no."
In her press release, AG Moody called the proposed regulation "counterproductive and misguided," since the American power grid is not suited to the energy demands of EVs. Additionally, reliance on electric vehicles means reliance on China, which supplies many minerals necessary for EVs.
"The proposed rule from Biden’s EPA requiring a dangerous, expedited timeline to shift to electric vehicles will harm consumers and wreak havoc on our energy infrastructure. This latest radical regulatory push by the Biden administration represents a top-to-bottom attempt to restructure the nation’s automobile industry and forces Americans to rely more heavily on foreign adversaries like China that provide the minerals needed to manufacture electric vehicles," said Moody.
Additionally, the letter argued the EPA has exceeded its statutory authority through this rule, precisely because it attempts to regulate an entire market of the economy.
Moreover, with the economic downturn many Americans face, few can afford an electric vehicle already. According to FindMyElectric, the average cost of an EV as of 2023 is approximately $64,000.
In January, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) similarly slammed the Biden Administration's push for EVs as encouraging dependence on China, expressing disappointment in the passage of a Democrat-led tax credit for purchasing an electric vehicle.
"Democrats said it wouldn’t, but they blocked my amendment to stop US tax dollars from going to Chinese-made batteries anyway," Sen. Rubio tweeted.
