West Virginia and neighboring Virginia have joined a 26 state coalition that is challenging a Biden administration rule that seeks to expedite the nation’s transition to electric vehicles.
The states are challenging a proposed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rule which, according to West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, would effectively mandate automakers to shift to electric vehicles.
The proposed Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards unveiled recently by the NHTSA would push automakers from a fleet average of 44.2 miles per gallon for passenger vehicles sold in model year 2024 to a fleet average of 57.8 mpg in model year 2032, according to information provided by the attorney general’s office.
“First of all, Congress did not give the NHTSA such power to reshape an industry that would ultimately affect the pocketbooks of consumers — this proposed rule is legally flawed and unrealistic,” Morrisey said. “In short, this proposal is about transforming the American auto markets to lead with EVs. It aims to morph a longstanding scheme to regulate internal combustion engine vehicles into one that erases them from the market.”
