Walberg bill would roll back anti-gas engine regulations

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, introduced a bill Thursday to protect the gas engine from federal regulators.

Walberg and his co-sponsors call House Resolution 4468 the CARS Act, meaning “Choice in Automobile Retail Sales.” Its official title — “To prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed rule with respect to emissions from vehicles, and for other purposes” — shows the real game. The CARS Act is about regulatory rollback. Existing regulations favor the electric vehicle and target the gas engine, critics say.

Read it for yourself: The CARS Act of 2023

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposed rule “with the intent of advancing the deployment of electric vehicles,” as Walberg describes it.

“This rule would require over two-thirds of all new vehicles to be electric by 2032,” the Walberg statement continues.

Walberg’s bill would stop the EPA from finalizing or enforcing the proposed rule, known as “Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles.”

Walberg sees in the proposed regulation a system that favors the electric vehicle and punishes the gas engine, forcing Americans into vehicles they cannot afford. He describes the proposed regulation as “driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America’s auto industry to China.”

Related reading: Biden wants to juice EV demand by killing the gas engine

“This proposal has raised serious concerns regarding the accessibility of affordable vehicles for the average American consumer,” reads the Walberg statement. “According to data from Kelley Blue Book, the average price of an electric vehicle was over $17,000 more than the average price of a gas-powered vehicle. This expense would come in addition to the extra $10,000 families nationwide have spent over the last two years due to the economic crisis fueled by inflation.”