WTAS: Ricketts is “Champion of Reason & Common Sense” for Fighting Against EV Mandate

OMAHA, NE – Today, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, announced support from various Nebraska and national stakeholders for his bipartisan Congressional Review Act legislation to block the Biden administration’s electric vehicle (EV) mandates. The legislation, introduced yesterday with Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and U.S. Congressmen John James (R-MI-10) and Russ Fulcher (R-ID-01), has 48 Senate co-sponsors.

“President Biden’s EV mandate is delusional,” Ricketts said. “This rule will make it harder for low-income families to buy a car or rural families to get to their jobs. I promised Nebraskans I’d use every tool I have to fight this. Our bipartisan legislation will keep costs down, defend consumer choice, and protect us against becoming more dependent on the CCP.”

Nebraska Trucking Association President Kent Grisham: “We are most grateful to Senator Ricketts for volunteering to be the champion of reason and common sense in the Congress on these issues. As the current EPA rules stand, the targets are totally unachievable given the current state of zero-emission technology, the lack of charging infrastructure, and restrictions on the power grid. In Nebraska, if we were to convert the existing trucking fleet to EVs, by itself it would consume 40 percent of all the electricity currently available in the state. We simply cannot increase capacity quickly enough to meet these politically motivated mandates.”

American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President/CEO Chet Thompson: “EPA’s regulation banning most new gas-powered cars in the next eight years is unlawful, unamerican and tramples on consumer freedom. This regulation is bad for families, our economy and U.S. national security. It will increase the cost of new cars, putting them out of reach for many families, threaten American jobs and make our country more dependent on China for batteries and minerals. The United States Senate must act swiftly to rein in EPA’s overreach, so we are grateful to Senators Pete Ricketts, Joe Manchin and Dan Sullivan for introducing a bipartisan Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolution to overturn EPA’s ban.

“In the United States, consumers—not EPA or Sacramento bureaucrats—should have the freedom to decide which cars and trucks work best for their families and their budgets. Seventy-five percent of Americans are wholly against government bans on gas, diesel and traditional hybrid cars and they want to see their Senators stand with them. We urge every Senator to listen to their constituents and vote YES on the CRA to overturn EPA’s ban on most new gas cars.”

American Petroleum Institute (API) President/CEO Mike Sommers: “Americans have made clear over the past year that they value the freedom to purchase a vehicle that’s best for them. Rather than promoting the interests of consumers, the Biden administration’s tailpipe rule will make most new gas-powered vehicles unavailable to Americans while forcing a greater reliance on foreign supply chains. We welcome efforts from Rep. James and Sen. Ricketts to provide Congress the opportunity to protect consumers, American jobs and U.S. national security by overturning this deeply flawed regulation.”

Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) CEO Mike Spagnola: "SEMA thanks Senator Ricketts and Representative James for introducing the CRA to overturn the EPA’s tailpipe emissions regulations for motor vehicles, which threatens the American people's ability to choose the type of vehicle that best serves their needs. This regulation puts the government's thumb on the scale favoring one technology over all others. This is the wrong approach to reducing motor vehicle emissions. The EPA needs to start over and take an ‘all of the above’ approach to vehicle technology, incentivize innovation, and allow the market to determine the best ways to reach improved emissions goals.”

Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA) President Todd Spencer: “Small business truckers make up 96% of trucking and could be regulated out of existence if the EPA’s misguided mandate comes into effect. This could have devastating effects on the reliability of America’s supply chain and ultimately on the cost and availability of consumer goods. Local mom and pop trucking businesses would be suffocated by the sheer cost and operational challenges of effectively mandating EV trucks. We thank Senator Ricketts and Senator Sullivan for their leadership in Congress in standing up for America’s small business truckers to fight EPA’s unworkable emissions regulations.”

The Empowerment Alliance: “It makes no sense to mandate EVs, then turn around and block the critical mineral production needed to make them. Thank you, Senator Dan Sullivan and Senator Pete Ricketts, for highlighting the absurdity of Biden’s EV mandates!”