By the SEMA D.C. office
In a show of support for the specialty-equipment aftermarket,
West Virginia state lawmaker and SEMA-member Gary Howell (R-WV) has penned a powerful op-ed piece for the Cumberland, Maryland Times-News. Read it here.
Howell touches on his experience as the owner of Howell Automotive in Keyser, West Virginia, and how the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to restrict emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles will affect his business and the industry.
As a reminder, the EPA has proposed rules requiring light-duty vehicles to meet increasingly stringent emissions reductions for model-year '27-'32 model year. As a result, the EPA estimates that two-thirds of new passenger vehicles sold in the United States would be electric vehicles (EV) by 2032 under its proposed standards. SEMA opposes the proposed rule as currently written.
"In terms of our economy, small businesses will be the most vulnerable to the disruptions caused by a government-regulated seismic shift to battery-electric vehicles. The automotive industry plays a significant role in West Virginia's economic vitality. In our state alone, the auto industry supports $1.3 billion in labor income and more than 27,000 jobs. The state also benefits from sales taxes on auto parts and services, which would be severely limited if these regulations shift the balance to EVs," Howell said in the article.
Click here to sign a letter opposing the EPA's proposal, which provides an opportunity to personalize the text and explain how the agency's push to an all-electric future will impact your business.
Click here to read "EPA Emissions Proposal Aren't a Fit for West Virginians" by Gary Howell on the Times-News.com.