To Protect Vehicle Choice, Pass the CARS Act

The House of Representatives will consider legislation this week to override burdensome emissions regulations proposed by the Biden administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Americans for Tax Reform urges a “YES” vote on the CARS Act (H.R. 4468), to preserve consumer choice in the vehicle market.

The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act introduced by Congressman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) would prohibit the EPA from implementing its 2023 rule titled “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles.” If left in place, this rule would set stricter tailpipe emissions standards for the vehicles that Americans are allowed to purchase. As a result of these new standards, the EPA’s own estimates suggest that more than two-thirds of new vehicle sales would need to be electric by the year 2032, constricting consumer choice and artificially raising prices.

The CARS Act would prevent the enforcement of this rule or other vehicle emissions standards which “mandate the use of any specific technology” or “result in limited availability of new motor vehicles based on the type of new motor vehicle engine in such new motor vehicles.” The House and Senate previously passed S. J. Res. 11, a congressional resolution of disapproval regarding a similar vehicle emissions proposal from the EPA, but President Biden vetoed the legislation.

Congressman Walberg is joined by 34 cosponsors on H.R. 4468, the House version of the CARS Act. The Senate version of the bill, S. 3094, is led by Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and has received bipartisan support from 33 cosponsors.

The tailpipe emissions standards proposed by the EPA are just one part of an aggressive series of attacks on consumer choice from Biden’s environmental regulators. Earlier this year, Congress had to pass legislation opposing the Biden administration’s proposed bans on gas stoves. Other strict regulations targeting refrigerators, air conditioners, dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, and even ceiling fans have been introduced by the Biden administration, in addition to the restrictions proposed for gas-powered vehicles. 

Members of Congress should support passage of H.R. 4468 / S. 3094, the CARS Act, to preserve consumer choice in the vehicle market.