On April 18, Republican attorneys general from 25 states filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). They claimed the agency had overstepped its legal jurisdiction to hinder regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks.
Attorneys general from Kentucky and West Virginia led the lawsuit against the passenger car standards that President Joe Biden’s administration had resolved on March 20. Other states that joined the suit included: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming. Nonthless, the case was brought in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Additionally, the EPA’s regulations aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7.2 billion tons by 2055 and the fleet’s total exhaust emissions of vehicles and light trucks by over 50% of the 2026 levels by 2032. However, Kentucky’s Attorney General Russell Coleman said the regulations would undermine the American electrical grid, hurt the country’s economy, endanger jobs, and drive up costs. He added that his state had very little consumer interest in EVs.
Moreover, Republican state officials described the regulations as an administration attempt to unfairly alter the U.S. passenger car industry. They said the burdensome regulations made it harder for automakers to stick with the EV strategy.
Attorney General Patrick Morrisey of West Virginia criticized the regulations, stating that they exceeded the authority of the Clean Air Act and aimed to restructure the auto industry. He argued that the regulations were legally flawed and unrealistic.
Following pushback from auto workers and the industry, the final version of these rules was less stringent than initially proposed. The new regulations provided automakers with greater flexibility, including the continued use of gas-electric hybrids. Some environmentalists saw this concession as a compromise that might slow the transition to fully electric vehicles.
