Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) testified before the House Rules Committee today in support of H.R. 1435, the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, led by Rep. John Joyce. The bill would end California’s efforts to ban gas-powered cars and preserve Americans’ ability to choose the vehicles that best suit their lives. 

Excerpts and highlights below: 

“This legislation is about ensuring Americans can continue choosing the vehicles that best suit their lives. It's about making sure people have the option of driving practical, functional, and affordable cars. 

“And it's about embracing the legacy of the American auto industry. 

“For more than a century, affordable transportation has helped drive America’s economic success.  

“The internal combustion engine has allowed people in the U.S. and around the world to increase their mobility and raise their standard of living.  

“We should be asking ourselves ‘how can America continue to lead the auto sector for the next 100 years?’” 

EV MANDATES 

“The answer is not through restrictive government mandates.   

“Yet that is exactly what President Biden’s EPA, California, and others allies are trying to do.  

“One way they’re hoping to achieve this radical scheme is by giving California the green light to mandate all new vehicles sold in the state be 100 percent battery electric by 2035. 

“17 other states have similar bans on internal combustion engines that would be triggered if EPA approves California’s request.   

“This affects 40 percent of the U.S.’s new vehicle market—and companies don’t customize cars for every state. 

“These mandates are divorced from reality, they’re unaffordable and impractical for most Americans, and what I’m most concerned about is that they’re handing China the keys to our auto future.” 

EVS ARE UNAFFORDABLE AND IMPRACTICAL 

“What California and the Biden administration won’t tell people is that the average price of an EV was $17,000 more than a gas-powered car in 2022, that 95 percent of vehicles on the road today in the U.S. run on internal combustion engines, and that gas-powered vehicles continue to drastically outperform EVs in range, towing capacity, and their ability to operate in severe weather conditions.  

“Most of the country also lacks the necessary vehicle charging infrastructure, especially rural areas. And studies have warned that a rushed EV expansion, like the one proposed by California and the EPA, could overwhelm our electric grid and compromise reliability. 

“In California, Governor Newsom has repeatedly resorted to asking people not to charge their EVs during rolling blackouts and that’s just 4 percent of the vehicles on the road in his state. How on earth can their grid possibly handle 100 percent EVs?  

“A more expensive future, with less grid reliability, is not the future anyone wants to be forced to live in.”  

STOPPING THE CAR BANS 

“If a family wants to buy an EV and can afford it, they should buy one.  

“But let’s make sure Americans get to decide what kind of a car they want to buy whether it’s an internal combustion engine, a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, a hydrogen fuel cell the future is with innovation and technology, maybe even something that hasn’t been invented yet.  

"We should also be able to make those choices.  

“The decision about what kind of cars we drive should not be dictated through one state or through federal mandates.  

“So this legislation would emphasize that Clean Air Act waivers, like the one requested by California, are for reducing emissions—not eliminating engine types. 

“It prevents the EPA from granting California a waiver to 'directly or indirectly' limit the sale or use of new cars with internal combustion engines.  

“It also prevents California, complicit with the EPA, from dictating the transportation policies for the entire country.” 

THIS IS CHINA’S SCHEME 

“It is vital that we put a stop to this effort to force an EV transition on Americans, especially when you consider how China currently dominates the EV industry and the critical minerals supply chains.  

“China controls some 76 percent of global battery cell production capacity for electric vehicles, around 75 percent of all lithium-ion batteries, and the majority of processing and refining capacity for over half of the world’s lithium, cobalt, and graphite. 

“Earlier this year, China became the largest exporter of new motor vehicles in the world, surpassing Japan for the first time in history. 

“And it is taking steps to build an EV foothold in Mexico, specifically so it can access the U.S. market.  

“In fact, Chinese-owned companies are already making inroads in the U.S.  

“Just look at Polestar, an battery electric automaker owned by Chinese car company Geely, which recently opened a dealership just a few blocks from the White House, and this past weekend the company ran several ads during NFL games across the country.” 

CONCLUSION 

“Instead of forcing Americans to spend more money on vehicles sourced in China in order to advance a political agenda, let’s get back to focusing on people having access to mobility options that are affordable, reliable, and functional means of transportation. 

“Let’s make sure our electric grid is reliable so people can keep the lights going, get their groceries, stay warm, and live their lives on their terms—which a rapid rush to EVs will jeopardize. 

“Protecting people’s way of life and ability to provide for their families is the fundamental goal of the bill before us, and it should be a bipartisan priority.”