Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023:
Legislation that would amend federal law to block attempts to eliminate the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines cleared its first hurdle last week, as it passed the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and will move to the full House floor.
Introduced in March by Rep. John Joyce (R-Pennsylvania), the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act was introduced in response to the California Air Resource Board’s decision to effectively ban the sale of new, internal combustion engine vehicles by 2035.
“California regulators shouldn’t have the power to determine what vehicles are sold to families in Pennsylvania,” Joyce said. “One state should not be able to set national policy, and Americans should not be forced into making purchases they are unable to afford. I’m proud to see the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act pass through the Energy and Commerce Committee and look forward to its passage in the House.”
In addition to blocking attempts to ban the sale of traditional engines, it would also restrict the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing any Clean Air Act waivers that would ban the sale or use of new motor vehicles with internal combustion engines.
A version of the bill was also introduced in the Senate in June by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma). According to a press release from Mullin, the bill has support from the American Trucking Associations (ATA), the National Association of Small Trucking Companies (NASTC) and the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), among others.
