Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito has expressed her concerns following the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) approval of California's waiver to implement its "Advanced Clean Cars II" regulation. This regulation aims to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and promote an all-electric vehicle economy by 2035.

Senator Capito criticized the EPA's decision, stating, "EPA’s decision to approve California’s extreme EV mandate imposes unrealistic, stringent requirements to sell 100 percent electric vehicles by 2035. This rule not only fails to meet the Clean Air Act’s requirements for a waiver, but also forces the hand of American consumers and makes our country more reliant on China for critical minerals."

She further noted that this decision would have widespread effects beyond California as other states are following suit. "The impacts of this costly, radical regulatory overreach will unfortunately be felt far outside of California, as 11 additional states and Washington D.C. have already adopted California’s regulation," she said.

Capito emphasized that Americans prefer consumer choice over mandates and expressed her intent to challenge the Biden administration's action: "The American people want consumer choice – not an EV mandate. I will work to reverse the Biden administration’s lame duck action."

Earlier in February, Capito joined other legislators in addressing EPA Administrator Michael Regan through a letter that highlighted potential legal and economic issues with granting such waivers under the Clean Air Act.