- Republican attorneys general in 25 states have filed a lawsuit against the EPA.
- The legal challenge claims that the agency exceeded its legal authority in introducing the strictest emissions rules ever for American passenger vehicles.
- This is just the latest lawsuit Republican state leaders have filed in an effort to resist Biden’s climate objectives.
The attorneys general of 25 American states came together to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prevent new passenger vehicle emissions rules from coming into effect. The plaintiffs claim the government agency has overstepped its legal authority.
When the EPA announced the new rules, the White House called them the most stringent vehicle pollution regulations the U.S. has ever introduced. It claimed that the new limits would cut greenhouse emissions from passenger vehicles by nearly 50 percent between 2026 and 2032.
More: US Unveils Strictest Car Emission Standards Ever To Protect Planet
Republican state officials argued the new rules amount to an attempt to change the American automotive industry, reports Reuters. Kentucky Attorney General Russel Coleman alleged that the rules will hurt the American economy, threaten jobs, raise prices, and undermine the U.S. electrical grid.
“The Biden administration is willing to sacrifice the American auto industry and its workers in service of its radical green agenda,” Coleman said. “We just aren’t buying it.”
The attorneys general also claim that the new rules are an attempt to mandate the sale of electric vehicles. The EPA has not introduced any mandates, though it predicts that between 30 and 56 percent of automakers’ lineups will have to be made up of electric vehicles to comply with emissions regulations.
Since the regulation was introduced, experts have been predicting a legal challenge from Republicans. This is only the latest lawsuit filed by attorneys general in GOP-led states that targets an aspect of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda. The same tactic has been used to dispute the SEC’s corporate climate disclosure rules, the Energy Department’s pause on exports of natural gas, and more.
In addition to Kentucky, the following states’ attorneys general have joined the lawsuit against the EPA’s vehicle emissions rules: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
