A coalition of 25 attorneys general led by Kentucky’s Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit against an economy-commandeering Biden administration electric vehicle mandate Thursday.
In March, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new emissions demands for carmakers to reduce “fleetwide average carbon emissions” by 56 percent in eight years. The regulations would require car manufacturers to sell more electric vehicles.
Daren Bakst, director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center on Energy and Environment, called the new emissions rules “one of the most extreme rules ever finalized by a federal agency.”
“The EPA’s rule would restrict the ability of Americans to buy gas-powered vehicles, a chilling abuse of power and a wanton disregard for individual freedom,” Bakst said when the regulations were unveiled.
Now, attorneys general in half of U.S. states are suing to block the administration from forcing high-cost, low-energy electric cars on American consumers.
“The Biden Administration is willing to sacrifice the American auto industry and its workers in service of its radical green agenda,” the Kentucky attorney general said in a statement. “We just aren’t buying it. Demand for EVs continues to fall, and even those who want to buy one can’t afford it amid historic inflation.”
According to an Ipsos poll with Yahoo Finance conducted last fall, 57 percent of the more than 1,000 Americans surveyed reported they were unlikely to purchase an electric car. Another 11 percent said they were unsure while just 31 percent said they were likely to buy one.
The EPA’s
