Charleston Leader

U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito has voiced her opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) recent approval of California's waiver to enforce the "Advanced Clean Cars II" regulation. This regulation aims to eliminate the sale of new gas-powered cars and transition to an all-electric vehicle market by 2035.

Senator Capito, who serves as the Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, criticized the EPA's decision. She stated, "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."

The senator expressed concern over the broader impact of this decision beyond California. She noted that eleven additional states and Washington D.C. have adopted similar regulations, leading to what she describes as a "patchwork of separate auto regulations across broad swaths of the country." Capito emphasized that "the American people want consumer choice – not an EV mandate," and pledged her efforts towards reversing what she termed as a "lame duck action" by the Biden administration.

In February, Senator Capito joined other lawmakers in a bicameral letter addressed to EPA Administrator Michael Regan. The letter warned about potential legal and economic repercussions if California were granted a waiver under the Clean Air Act. The waiver allows California to mandate that 35 percent of automobile sales be zero-emission vehicles by model year 2026, reaching full compliance with zero-emission sales by 2035.