Press Releases

Today, Rep. Mike Ezell (MS-04) joined Rep. Randy Feenstra (IA-04) and Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) in a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan urging the Biden administration to overturn its de facto electric mandate on trucks, tractors, buses, and semis.

The final rule is entitled “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3” and was published on April 22, 2024.

"The EPA's latest mandate on EVs will put further strains on our supply chain, burden the U.S. economy, and drive up costs nationwide," Ezell said. "The heavy hand of the Biden Administration continues to overstep into the lives of Americans at every turn. Americans should have the choice to drive and operate whichever vehicle benefits them and their business. I'm proud to join this bicameral group of colleagues in resisting the Biden Administration's overreach and working to return the U.S. to open and free markets."

“The Biden administration’s mandate that impacts all trucks, tractors, buses, and semis would strain our supply chains, hurt our farmers, harm our economy, and increase costs for every single American. On top of inflation, poor economic conditions, and other regulations, this de facto EV mandate on our truckers, manufacturers, farmers, and dealers will hike the cost of groceries, utility bills, and everyday goods that American families rely on. It’s also a deliberate attack on liquid fuels – including homegrown Iowa biofuels – that are vital to our energy, economic, and national security,” Feenstra said. “I’m glad that over 150 of our colleagues joined us on our mission to overturn this burdensome mandate and maintain choice for both manufacturers, truckers, and consumers alike. This rule represents yet another attempt by the Biden administration to give more power to bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., and I’m proud to lead the effort to oppose President Biden’s power grab. We must let the free market – not the heavy hand of government – work as intended.”

“Heavy-handed, top-down environmental policies do more harm than good. Regulations like these raise costs for Americans, harm farmers and small businesses and push our country toward greater dependence on China,” Crapo said. “We deserve a choice in the cars and trucks that we drive, especially when the consequences of these mandates are so detrimental to the economic success of families, businesses and rural communities.”

The lawmakers noted that, “This final rule, which encompasses heavy-duty vehicles ranging from delivery trucks and school buses to tractors and semis, would disrupt the heavy-duty truck industry by forcing the broad adoption of heavy-duty zero emission vehicles on an extremely aggressive timeline, despite these vehicles currently being less than 1% of sales. According to a recent study, it would cost nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone to fully electrify the U.S. commercial fleet, which does not include the expense of purchasing new semis. Additionally, the cost for an electric semi-truck averages over $400,000 while a comparable diesel Class 8 truck costs around $180,000 – meaning electric trucks cost an average of 122% more than a normal semi.”

“Our farmers and agricultural industry will be especially hurt by this new mandate. According to the latest agriculture census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 3,161,820 trucks (including pickups) on over 1.4 million farms and 3,784,743 tractors on over 1.5 million farms that would see higher equipment costs and tighter margins due to this misguided rule. These numbers also do not account for the small, independent truckers, trucking companies, and truck dealerships throughout the U.S. that will be impacted. Not only would this rule harm consumers, but it would also exacerbate consolidation by effectively forcing our small trucking companies out of business that cannot afford this hasty transition to electric or hydrogen powered trucks,” the lawmakers added.