Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 1435.

Tens of millions of Americans battled extreme heat, flooding, and storms this summer, threatening their health, homes, and livelihoods. Last month, Hurricane Idalia became our Nation's 23rd billion-dollar weather disaster this year. That is a record, and it is only September.

The damage caused by climate change and dangerous pollution cannot be ignored, yet that is exactly what House Republicans are doing with this bill. They are, once again, doing the bidding of their corporate polluter friends at the expense of Americans' health and security and our Nation's economy.

The transportation sector is the single largest contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and other dangerous air pollution, but, once again, Republicans want to bury their heads in the sand and ignore reality, even while more than 100 million Americans are right now living in counties with unhealthy levels of air pollution.

Thanks to decades of innovation in the American auto industry, spurred forward by technology-driven standards, we have a large and growing fleet of cleaner, more affordable cars that benefit all Americans. These standards have helped cement the United States as a global leader in the transportation sector.

Congress carefully crafted the Clean Air Act to recognize the diverse air pollution challenges facing each State. Due to a history of severe air quality problems, the EPA can grant California waivers to set vehicle emission standards that are more protective than those at the Federal level, and other States can voluntarily adopt California's standards if they choose to do so. EPA has granted dozens of these waivers, and 17 States and the District of Columbia have followed California's lead, including my home State of New Jersey.

The law ensures that any State has the freedom to choose to adopt these stronger vehicle emission standards if it works for them. H.R. 1435 would gut that freedom of choice.

The bill directs the EPA to revoke all existing waivers and future waivers under the Clean Air Act for any California vehicle emission standards related to internal combustion engines.

This bill would turn back the clock over 50 years of both Congress and the EPA recognizing California's statutory authority to set more protective vehicle emission standards. It infringes on the rights of States like my home State of New Jersey to voluntarily adopt those standards to protect people from dangerous air pollution. This bill would also cause chaos and uncertainty for the American automotive industry by forcing the EPA to revoke waivers going all the way back to 2013.

Now, Republicans' portrayal of this bill as protecting consumer choice is completely detached from reality. This bill will discourage any manufacturing of hybrid or electric vehicles. There would be no incentives for automakers to invest in the production of hybrids and EVs, and they would simply not be available as a cleaner and cheaper choice. The bill blocks any State's ability to break free from the grip of Big Oil.

Let me be clear, Mr. Speaker: Nobody is taking away your gas-powered vehicle. Republicans are fear-mongering in a deliberate effort to mislead the American people. The truth is, Republicans are trying to legislate away years of American innovation in cleaner transportation in yet another attempt to do the bidding of their Big Oil friends. They are once again putting polluters over people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Matsui), who is the ranking member of our Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
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Mr. PALLONE. Clarke), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Ms. CLARKE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1435.

H.R. 1435 would have disastrous consequences, not only on California's ability to regulate dangerous air pollution from its own transportation sector, but for all of the other States who have adopted its standards, including my home State of New York.

My colleagues, climate change is accelerating in real-time, and we are experiencing the impact to our own detriment.

The transportation sector accounts for nearly one-third of the Nation's greenhouse gas contributions. Heavy-duty transportation makes up a significant piece of this polluting sector. Heavy-duty vehicles make up approximately 6 percent of vehicles on the road but generate 59 percent of the nitrogen oxides and other dangerous pollutants that contribute to ozone and particulate matter.

An estimated 72 million people live near truck freight routes across the United States. These communities, whose residents are more likely to be people of color and vulnerable populations, have lower incomes and experience higher rates of adverse health effects.

This bill would harm and potentially reverse decades of progress on cleaning up our heavy-duty transportation sector.

Republicans are putting polluters over people by attempting to block States' ability to regulate air pollution from heavy-duty trucks, in direct contradiction to the Clean Air Act.

While my Republican colleagues continue to try to block commonsense air pollution control efforts, I, along with my fellow House Democrats, will continue to fight for cleaner air and a clean energy future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 1435.

I hear the Republicans constantly talk about choice, a choice of vehicles. Let me just stress again that nobody is taking away your gas- powered vehicle.

We are actually providing you the choice, and the States that are adopting the California standards are providing you a choice of vehicles because if you pass this bill, then you are basically insisting that people have to have gas-powered vehicles because nobody's going to develop EVs.

The fact of the matter is, contrary to my colleague from Indiana's remarks, people are buying EVs, more people than ever. Even Republicans are buying electric vehicles.

This bill will discourage any manufacturing of hybrid or electric vehicles because there will be no incentives for the automakers to invest in the production of hybrids or EVs, and they would simply not be available.

People won't have a choice of a cleaner car either because of better emission standards if it is gas powered or because they might want to buy a hybrid or an EV.

The other argument that is being made here is about China, and I have to dispute that, as well. Republicans are making the claim that this bill protects America from playing into China's hands. I totally disagree.

Basically, Republicans think that China is leading in the EV space. Rather than relying on American industry and American ingenuity to compete with China, Republicans think we should step aside. They basically say we will just stand down.

While the global demand and the American demand for EVs is rising, if we don't compete, China benefits. If we step back, China ends up controlling all the supply chains.

Democrats aren't denying that China is very active in this space and controls a lot of the existing supply chains for electric vehicles, but rather than ceding more ground, we are investing in America's ability to compete. We are investing in domestic battery manufacturing, creating jobs here and reducing our dependence on foreign supply chains.

Republicans are operating under the assumption that by stepping away from electric vehicles, China's dominance in the space disappears. That is nonsense. In reality, it means that the growing global demand for electric vehicles will be met by China, and American progress and competitiveness just recedes.

One of my colleagues--I think it was Mr. Peters--said that the Republicans are stuck in the past. That is exactly the problem here. They don't understand that the auto industry is innovating. The auto industry has been creating gas-powered cars with less emissions.

The auto industry is creating EVs here. Let them flower. Let them do what they can so, ultimately, we are in charge of manufacturing these vehicles so that Americans buy and the rest of the world buys our electric vehicles.

Don't let China continue to dominate the market. That is what this bill will do.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time. I don't have much time left.
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, may I ask the time remaining on both sides again?

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Stevens).

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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear again. Nobody is taking away your gas-powered vehicles. If this bill were to become law, there would be no choice because the United States would not build electric vehicles and we would fall further and further behind China.

The Republicans are trying to legislate away years of American innovation and cleaner transportation in yet another attempt to do the bidding of their Big Oil friends. They are once again putting polluters over people.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

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