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Today, Congressman Bob Latta’s (R-OH5) legislation, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, was approved through a bipartisan vote in U.S. House of Representatives and now heads to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Latta is co-leading the legislation with Reps. John Joyce (R-PA13), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL12), and Jay Obernolte (R-CA23).

The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing Clean Air Act (CAA) waivers for state policies that seek to ban or otherwise limit the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

“Americans should be able to make choices – and vehicle purchases – that work best for themselves and their families,” Latta said. “The state of California, however, has made it their mission to outright ban vehicles with internal combustion engines and force people to purchase more expensive electric vehicles. With today’s bipartisan House passage of the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, we are one step closer to preventing the EPA from granting California’s waiver request that would set a national standard of banning gas and diesel cars. This is a win for consumer choice, and I’m proud to have worked alongside Representatives Joyce, Bilirakis, and Obernolte on the Energy and Commerce Committee to advance this commonsense and necessary legislation.”

Click here to view Latta’s remarks in support of the bill on the U.S. House Floor.

“The last thing my constituents want is another oppressive Biden Administration mandate that puts a radical environmental agenda and far-left special interests above their individual freedoms,” Joyce said. “There is nothing more quintessentially American than the freedom of the open road, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for supporting this important legislation protecting the freedom of all Americans to drive the vehicles of their choice.”

“All Americans should have the freedom to choose which vehicle makes the most sense for their particular circumstances and budgets,”  Bilirakis said.  “The EPA should not enable the Californian elite to impose their liberal ideology on others by setting a precedent that will restrict options for consumers throughout the country, including my constituents in Florida.  Our bill preserves consumer choice and its passage should be expedited.”

“In places like my rural California district where many people commute several hours to work every day, electric vehicles can be both unaffordable and impractical. These problems are compounded by a lack of charging infrastructure, with our state already suffering from a failure to produce sufficient electricity for our existing energy needs,” Obernolte said. “Mandating the purchase of electric vehicles will not only further increase the cost of living for my constituents, but will also damage our economy. We need a market-based approach that can enable competition and improve technology in the marketplace instead of more burdensome government control.”

Latta’s work:

·         Last year, Latta led 157 of his House colleagues in a letter to President Biden opposing the waiver from the state of California that would ban the sale of new internal combustion engine vehicles.

·         In March of this year, Latta helped introduce the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, and in July of this year, the Energy and Commerce Committee advanced the bill for U.S. House consideration.

California’s effort to ban ICE vehicles:

On August 25, 2022, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to place stringent new requirements on automakers that would effectively ban the sale of new internal combustion engine (ICE) cars and light trucks by 2035 in favor of so-called “zero-emission vehicles” (ZEV), like plug-in hybrid, full battery-electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. To proceed with its plans to ban ICE vehicles, California would need a waiver of Clean Air Act preemption provisions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). CARB has readily admitted that this action will extend beyond its state borders, with 17 other states bound to follow California’s standards. This would constitute 40 percent of the entire nation’s new car sales.

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