On April 18th, the U.S. Senate attempted to prohibit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from using funds to implement the Biden Administration’s new rule on tailpipe emissions. The EPA regulation would require automakers to sell more electric vehicles and hybrids by gradually tightening limits on tailpipe pollution levels starting in 2026.
The bill, S. 4072, is essentially the same as S. 3094, the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act of 2023, and Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) introduced both bills. The difference is that S.4072 strips funding, while the CARS Act completely prevents the EPA from enacting the rules.
S. 4072 was a unique and fast-tracked bill in the U.S. Senate. This bill resulted from an agreement during the March effort to avert a government shutdown. Senate leaders promised a vote on the EPA rules, so this bill is that vote. The frustrating part of the vote taken on S. 4072 is that this bill received more votes for it than against it! The final vote was fifty-two (52) in favor, forty-six (46) against, with two (2) not voting. However, because of the rules in the Senate, this bill required sixty (60) votes for passage.
While frustrating, there is some good news for those who want to protect the internal combustion engine. Three (3) Democrats and one Independent, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) joined forty-eight (48) Republicans in voting for the legislation.
This vote hopefully shows that more and more lawmakers and Americans are taking notice of the attack on the internal combustion engine. Next month, during the MRF’s Bikers Inside the Beltway, motorcyclists will take to Capitol Hill to push the preservation of vehicle choice and all our agenda!
As Always, Ride Safe and Ride Free
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