WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Mike Bost (R-IL) and Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) today introduced a pair of bills to discourage states from banning gas-powered vehicles. Bost’s bill, the Options for Ownership Act, would require the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to withhold 15% of a state’s Highway Trust Fund dollars if the state prohibits the sale of non-zero emission vehicles. LaMalfa’s bill, the Revoking Engine and Vehicle (REV) Requirements Act, would repeal California’s Clean Air Act waiver the state uses to set its own emissions standards. 

"With inflation already sky-high, drivers should not be forced to purchase a car they cannot afford simply to appease the liberals’ Green New Deal dreams,” said Bost. “If states choose to force drivers to purchase cars that don’t use gasoline, then they shouldn’t be able to reap the benefits of the federal fuel tax. It’s that simple.”

 “The government should not have the authority to force consumers to purchase something if they don’t want to,” said LaMalfa. “Given their price and limited range, electric vehicles aren’t a realistic option for many Americans. California has nowhere near the ability to handle the wholesale forced adoption of electric vehicles. Look at California, when merely days after CARB announced their mandate, the Governor had to plead with residents to not charge their EVs. Our grid would have to be completely rebuilt. Consumers need to be protected from the whims of governmental overreach. We must rescind the power to make these regulations from power-hungry bureaucrats.” 

 California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in September 2020 that would establish new emissions standards in the State of California. Last month, the California Resources Board approved a new rule to require all new cars and light trucks sold in the State of California to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035, effectively banning all new gas-powered cars. Days later, Newsom also asked Californians to limit the number of hours they charge their electric vehicles. 

Following Newsom’s executive order, 17 other states have adopted some of California’s standards, including New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Maine, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Washington, Oregon, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Colorado, Minnesota, Nevada, Virginia, and New Mexico.