Central ND News

WASHINGTON – A group of lawmakers, led by Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), along with Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI-07), have called for the withdrawal of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) proposed regulations and standards that would impose burdensome and costly regulations on vehicle manufacturers and restrict consumer choice. The proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards, combined with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's tailpipe emissions proposal, would effectively force an electric vehicle (EV) mandate on the nation.

The lawmakers, supported by more than 100 members from both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, wrote a letter to NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman expressing their concerns. They argue that the NHTSA's approach "will limit availability of and access to vehicle and fuel options that would better meet consumer preferences and needs and accomplish statutory objectives, while still reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the transportation sector." They also highlight the potential harm to energy and national security, as well as the benefit it would bring to China, the country's number one foreign adversary.

In the letter, the lawmakers emphasize that Congress did not authorize NHTSA to set fuel economy standards that effectively mandate EVs and force out internal combustion engines from the market. They call for the NHTSA to withdraw its proposal and reissue new CAFE standards that comply with the law and do not pick "winners and losers in the free market." They argue that the NHTSA's current approach only serves as virtue signaling for the administration's climate agenda and would have limited impact on emissions, while strengthening foreign adversaries and harming American workers and consumers.

Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), one of the signatories of the letter, emphasized the need for the NHTSA to preserve Americans' freedom to choose a vehicle that best meets their needs. He stated, "NHTSA must stop its attempt to regulate gas-powered vehicles out of the market and force EVs onto buyers."

The lawmakers are urging the NHTSA to drop its attempt at central planning and instead propose workable standards that comply with the law and serve the American people better.

To read the full letter, click here.