Washington, D.C. (RELEASE) October 25, 2023 —

U.S. Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis (both R-WY) joined their colleagues in introducing the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act to push back on the Biden administration’s radical Green New Deal agenda and executive overreach by preventing the implementation of a proposed rule that limits the people of Wyoming’s choices when purchasing a car. 

“Democrats are trying to force-feed Wyoming drivers expensive electrical vehicles – vehicles that we don’t need, want, and most families can’t afford,” said Barrasso. “Farmers and ranchers count on vehicles that are affordable and reliable. In Wyoming, with our cold winters and vast distances, electric cars are neither. The CARS Act will put Wyoming drivers – not Joe Biden – back into the driver’s seat when it comes to deciding what type of vehicle works best for them.”

“From day one, this administration has been strangling the people of Wyoming with restrictive red tape and eroding their freedoms,” said Lummis. “The Biden administration’s latest executive overreach is a thinly-veiled attempt to force the people of Wyoming into driving expensive electric vehicles at a time when they’re already struggling to keep up with soaring inflation rates. Wyoming families—not the federal government—are the ones best suited to choose a vehicle that meets their needs, and I’m joining Senator Crapo to preserve consumer choice.”

BACKGROUND:

On April 12, 2023, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a draft rule called “Multi-Pollutant Emission Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles,” which sets stringent emissions standards for criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases for certain vehicles. This is the most egregious tailpipe emissions proposal ever crafted and is basically a de facto mandate for mass production of electric vehicles (EVs). If finalized, the EPA estimates more than two-thirds of all new vehicles could be electric by 2032. 

The average price for an EV costs an additional $17,000 more than its average gas-powered counterpart, according to data from Kelley Blue Book. This administration’s aggressive push for EVs not only willfully ignores the financial limitations and personal preferences of everyday Americans, but it costs American autoworkers their jobs and increases our dependence on foreign adversaries like China. 

The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act: 

• Would prohibit the EPA from finalizing, implementing or enforcing its proposed emissions rule; 
• Would prohibit the use of authority under the Clean Air Act to issue regulations that mandate the use of any specific technology or that limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine type. This includes any regulation prescribed on or after January 1, 2021; 
• Would require the EPA to update any regulations since January 1, 2021, that result in the limited availability of new vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine within two years; and 
• Would end the EPA’s radical agenda, which is driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America’s auto industry to China.  

Full text of the bill can be found here.