The Biden administration recently finalized some of the strictest emissions regulations against gas-powered vehicles in its attempt to push the transition to electric vehicles. The new regulatory move aims for nearly 70% of all new car sales to be electric in just a few years.
However, these stringent regulations have received substantial pushback from conservatives and industry leaders, who argue the rules will hurt the average American consumer. As the EV industry currently stands, battery-powered cars are considerably more expensive than internal combustion engines and come with a list of unique issues not found in traditional automobiles.
“These are cars that Americans don’t want and can’t afford. The rule that the EPA put out yesterday is bad for American consumers. It’s bad for American jobs, and it’s only good for China,” American Petroleum Institute President and CEO Mike Sommers said during a Fox News appearance last week. “The American people need to rise up against this rule and reject it.”
Sommers further illustrated how inconvenient an electric vehicle might be for those who are forced to endure longer commutes and don’t live in a city. While an EV may be a reasonable choice for some drivers, it would require a painstaking lifestyle adjustment for others. Therefore, Sommers argues that consumers should have the freedom to exercise their choices freely.
“If you live in an urban environment, if you’re only commuting 30 miles a day, it might make sense for you to have an EV. But for most of Americans who commute longer than that and are concerned about where they’re going to charge up their vehicle, this is a vehicle that just doesn’t make sense,” Sommers said.
He emphasized that “Consumers deserve that choice,” maintaining that it is not the job of the government to infringe upon free market mechanisms. “And the federal government making that choice for them is, I think, something that most Americans are going to reject,” he added.
The American Petroleum Institute President further points out that domestic EV cars comprise a minuscule percentage of total car sales, sitting at less than 10%. Sommers outlines the astronomical changes that would need to occur to have that figure increase by roughly 60% over a relatively short period of time. He outlines reliance on China, loss of jobs, and reduced consumer choice as potential consequences.
"*" indicates required fields
“Only about 8% of the cars sold in this country right now are electric vehicles. In eight short years, this rule proposes that it goes to 68%,” he expanded. “That means fewer consumer freedoms, loss of American jobs, and yes, that is a gift to our greatest geopolitical foe, China.”
Sommers ultimately stressed that America should have a more positive view of fossil fuels amid such hostility toward these commodities. “We’re now producing over 13 million barrels of oil a day — that is a security blanket against the geopolitical world that we’re living in, where we have two wars going on, potentially more,” he said. “If it weren’t for American production, oil prices would be significantly higher. And that should be a point of pride for America.”
Note: The featured image is a screenshot from the embedded video.