Sunshine Sentinel

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody and 24 attorneys general are challenging the Biden administration’s most radical regulations yet on tailpipe emissions. President Joe Biden’s plan forcibly phases out gas-powered vehicles and restructures the automobile industry around electric vehicles at a breakneck pace. The draconian proposal aims to boost certain EV sales from 8.4% of total vehicle sales now to 67% by 2032.

Attorney General Moody and the coalition sent a letter opposing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plan, arguing the move would tax the families and businesses who depend on them and threaten our national security. 

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “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.”

The coalition argues that the dangerous shift to EVs is counterproductive and misguided. America’s power grids not only lack the capacity to accommodate the proposed rule’s new demands but are also nowhere near secure enough to handle them safely. EPA’s plan also hinders American energy independence and makes the country less secure. 

The attorneys general highlight how the Biden administration’s fast-and-furious approach to electrification will have devastating consequences for the automotive supply chain. America would become weaker and more dependent on foreign adversaries like China, which supplies many of the minerals necessary for EVs. 

The average EV sold for $61,448 at the end of 2022. Now is not the time for the federal government to complicate the manufacturing process for cars and raise the average price significantly. Consumers are already experiencing record inflation, historic gasoline prices, and high utility bills. Since President Biden took office, food prices are up more than 18%, and energy prices are up above 37%. Home prices also surged more than 27% in fewer than three years. Many consumers will be unable to afford EVs even if they want them. 

To read the letter sent by Attorney General Moody and the coalition, click here.

Attorney General Moody is joined in the letter by the attorneys general of the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.