By the SEMA D.C. office
The House Energy and Commerce Committee 
has passed H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, and H.R. 4468, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act. These SEMA-supported bills seek to preserve vehicle choice for consumers and prevent the federal government and the State of California from choosing only one form of technology (such as electric vehicles) (EVs) over the many others to achieve their emission reduction goals.
SEMA has strongly supported H.R. 1435, the "Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act," a bill prohibiting the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from issuing a waiver to California for regulations that would ban the sale or use of new motor vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) in the state by 2035. Rep. John Joyce's (R-PA) legislation is essential to stopping California's plan to ban new ICE vehicles, which requires the EPA to waive provisions in the Clean Air Act for the mandate to go into effect. U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), the co-chair of the Congressional Automotive Performance and Motorsports Caucus, recently introduced S. 2090, a Senate companion bill to H.R. 1435. Click here to send a letter to your Congress members asking them to support the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act by co-sponsoring the bill.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) introduced H.R. 4468 in response to the EPA's proposed federal emissions standards for motor vehicles model years '27 to '32, which is designed to result in EVs making up 67% of all new vehicles sales by 2032. The SEMA-supported CARS Act would prevent the EPA from finalizing the proposed emissions standards on light- and medium-duty vehicles.
The EPA's proposal intends to lower carbon emissions in a way that essentially forces battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) to become the only option for automakers to produce. Given the subsidies in place for EV purchases and production, EVs become the de facto choice to achieve the rulemaking's climate goals, as other options, such as hydrogen, new synthetic fuels, and multiple renewables, do not enjoy a level playing field of subsidies.
SEMA and more than 100 stakeholder organizations recently sent President Biden a letter expressing concerns about the EPA's Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards. The letter stated, "EPA's proposals inhibit the marketplace from identifying the most efficient, lowest-cost opportunities to reduce GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions from vehicles and greatly restrict consumer choice." SEMA will continue to engage in any proposed regulatory action that may lead to ICE bans. You can read the joint letter here.
SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola provided official comments to the EPA in opposition to the agency's proposed new federal emissions standards for motor vehicles model-years '27-'32. In addition, SEMA's grassroots efforts have generated more than 7,700 comments by our member companies and enthusiasts from around the country.
For more information on these efforts, visit sema.org/advocacy/ice-bans.