Duval Times

Senator Rick Scott has joined Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) in leading more than 150 colleagues in a letter to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan. The lawmakers are urging the Biden Administration to overturn its electric vehicle mandate on trucks, tractors, buses, and semis. The final rule, titled “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3,” was published on April 22, 2024.

The lawmakers stated, “This final rule, which encompasses heavy-duty vehicles ranging from delivery trucks and school buses to tractors and semis, would disrupt the heavy-duty truck industry by forcing the broad adoption of heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles on an extremely aggressive timeline, despite these vehicles currently being less than 1% of sales. According to a recent study, it would cost nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone to fully electrify the U.S. commercial fleet, which does not include the expense of purchasing new semis. Additionally, the cost for an electric semi-truck averages over $400,000 while a comparable diesel Class 8 truck costs around $180,000 – meaning electric trucks cost an average of 122% more than a normal semi.”

The lawmakers continued by expressing concern for the agricultural sector: “Our farmers and agricultural industry will be especially hurt by this new mandate. According to the latest agriculture census by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 3,161,820 trucks (including pickups) on over 1.4 million farms and 3,784,743 tractors on over 1.5 million farms that would see higher equipment costs and tighter margins due to this misguided rule. These numbers also do not account for the small independent truckers, trucking companies, and truck dealerships throughout the U.S. that will be impacted. Not only would this rule harm consumers, but it would also exacerbate consolidation by effectively forcing our small trucking companies out of business that cannot afford this hasty transition to electric or hydrogen-powered trucks.”

Henry Hanscom, Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs at the American Trucking Association (ATA), commented on the issue: “ATA remains opposed to EPA’s current GHG3 rule. The current state of available zero-emission technology, very limited heavy-duty charging and refueling infrastructure, and an unstable power grid make the post-2030 targets entirely unachievable. ATA believes the most effective path to fixing the serious flaws in GHG3 is through legislative and administrative means. That’s why we welcome this effort led by Congressman Feenstra and Senator Crapo calling on EPA to withdraw this unworkable rule and review the targets to account for the operational realities of trucking.”

In addition to this initiative, Senator Scott joined Senator Crapo in introducing the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act (S. 3094) on October 19, 2023. This legislation aims to prohibit the EPA from moving forward with its EV mandate for passenger cars and trucks or any similar future rules that would limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on engine type.

The full letter can be found HERE.

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