From the Daily Caller
Irish Owens
Contributor
California regulators and some truck manufacturers are facing growing pushback from truckers and red states as they push for electric vehicle (EV) adoption across the state.
Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order in September 2020 to phase out the sale of all new gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. Numerous lawsuits related to new regulations. Now, some truckers and red states are trying to block rules they say will slow down supply chains and force “a shift to more expensive and less efficient electric trucks,” according to a trucking group.
The Western Propane Gas Association sued the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in August over its zero-emission forklift rule that it said would impose costs on California forklift owners and operators. Other trade and trucking groups have criticized CARB's recently introduced regulations aimed at reducing air pollution.
The American Chamber of Free Enterprise (AmFree), a business lobbying group, also filed a lawsuit against CARB and multiple truck manufacturers on December 16, accusing California of establishing a “collusive” partnership with heavy-duty truck manufacturers to phase out by 2036. The state will use internal combustion engines. Costs of regulations.
“CARB’s typhoon of coercive and destructive regulations had its intended effect: manufacturers capitulated,” the lawsuit states. “However, in return for recognition of CARB’s suzerainty, manufacturers received a comfortable cartel arrangement that ensured their steady flow of With constant access to ultra-competitive profits, subsidies and tax credits, through synchronized action across the industry, this arrangement ensures that costs are not borne by manufacturers but are instead passed on to customers downstream and then to the rest of the country. . (Related: 'The coal king is not dead yet': Energy 'experts' are proven wrong again as coal use continues to soar in China and India)
CARB announced the Clean Truck Partnership in July 2023, an agreement with several major truck and engine manufacturers to advance the development of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) for the commercial trucking industry, including Flexibility for manufacturers to meet emissions requirements while still meeting the state’s climate and emissions reduction goals The agreement states that California will provide truck and engine manufacturers that sign the agreement more time to comply with the state’s emissions requirements.
“The agreement purportedly allowed the truck manufacturers limited immunity from California’s intrusive and unlawful regulations on heavy vehicles,” the lawsuit states. “However, in return, the truck manufacturers have betrayed their customers and those who relied on them. Customers: They have agreed to phase out sales of internal combustion engine vehicles as mandated by California, regardless of what the law says or what customers want.”
AmFree's legal action this month comes after Republican Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers filed an antitrust lawsuit against several heavy-duty truck manufacturers in November, claiming California “has begun the process of eliminating ICE mission” [internal combustion engine] vehicles and require our nation’s fleet to be electrified. Hilgers argued in the lawsuit that automakers would pass on compliance costs to consumers.
“The U.S. auto industry is at odds with itself,” the lawsuit said. “On the one hand, it seeks to quell the growing all-electric movement; on the other, it seeks to prioritize its own economic health. In today's world, so-called “zero-emission vehicles” (“ZEV”) have repeatedly caused automakers to suffer serious losses. A billion-dollar loss while conventional internal combustion engine (“ICE”) vehicles remain profitable and in high demand seems almost impossible. The obvious solution to this problem is to eliminate consumer choice and pass the cost onto the consumer.
CARB's Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) regulations require manufacturers to sell only zero-emission, medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles in California starting in 2036. According to CARB, by 2035 only ZEV will be able to meet the requirements. The California Commission considers entities that “own, operate, or direct the operation of at least one vehicle in California” and have annual gross revenues of at least $50 million or have a total of 50 or more vehicles to have “high priority” and comply with the regulations.
Hilgers previously filed a lawsuit against California regulators in May, claiming the ACF rules would “inevitably disrupt supply chains for a variety of commodities” and “create costs for taxpayers and governments across the country.”
“California’s regulations, known as the Advanced Clean Fleet, are disguised as intrastate rules of conduct,” the lawsuit states. “But by taking advantage of California’s large population and easy access to international ports on the West Coast, the Advanced Clean Fleet makes its ‘intrastate’ prohibitions Exported across the country, the damage will certainly be felt in the plaintiff’s state.”
The Nebraska Trucking Association, the Arizona Legislature and the states of Alabama, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah Attorneys general from several states, including West Virginia and Wyoming, joined the lawsuit. (Related: Biden unveils new 'ambitious' climate goals weeks before Trump returns to White House)
Advanced Clean Fleet “requires certain trucking fleet owners and operators to phase out internal combustion engine trucks in favor of more expensive and less efficient electric trucks. The rule applies to fleets headquartered outside of California but operating within the state.” Given California’s large population and international trade ports, this rule will have a significant impact on supply chains nationwide. “
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a waiver on December 18 to allow CARB to implement its “Advanced Clean Vehicles II” regulations, which will phase out all new passenger cars, trucks and SUVs sold in California by 2035. 1,256,646 vehicles Light electric vehicle registrations will be the most of any state by 2023, according to the Department of Energy (DOE).
The Biden-Harris administration has rolled out a variety of clean energy policies as part of President Joe Biden's climate agenda, including the introduction of tough emissions standards in March. The president has also vowed to build 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations across the country by 2030, but that initiative has so far been severely delayed.
Despite the government's nationwide push to popularize electric vehicles, some automakers have recently abandoned EV targets amid sluggish consumer demand. The high price of electric vehicles is a deterrent to some consumers, with the average price of an electric vehicle in November being $55,105, compared with an average price of $48,724 for a gas-powered car.
President-elect Donald Trump criticized Biden's electric vehicle policies and vowed to repeal them during the campaign, calling the measures “crazy.” According to Reuters, Trump’s transition team plans to make sweeping changes to Biden’s electric vehicle policy, including imposing tariffs on battery materials.
Many U.S. truckers rely on internal combustion engine vehicles, with 99.9% of commercial trucks in the U.S. trucking industry powered by diesel, natural gas and gasoline, according to the Engine Technology Forum. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the average annual mileage of a semitrailer in the United States is 62,169 miles.
Fully electrifying the U.S. commercial truck fleet alone could cost nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment, according to a Roland Berger report released in March by the Clean Freight Coalition. According to a May 2023 report from the Institute for Environment and Energy, conventional trucks can travel 2,000 miles without refueling, while current electric semi-trailers can travel up to 500 miles. Charging time for all electric semi-trucks can also take more than an hour.
A CARB spokesman declined to comment. Spokespeople for the American Chamber of Free Enterprise and Hilgers did not respond to requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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