House Passes Bill to Preserve Combustion Engine Sales

A bill limiting the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ability to restrict internal combustion engines in new vehicles has passed the House. 

The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act was approved Sept. 14 by a vote of 222 to 190. The measure, introduced by Rep. John Joyce (R-Pa.), is meant to combat the California Air Resource Board’s plans to phase out all sales of diesel truck sales. 

Specifically, the legislation would make states with standards that interfere with the sale or use of new vehicles with internal combustion engines ineligible for EPA waivers. States require EPA waivers to set stricter standards than current federal regulations. The measure would also require the agency to revoke waivers granted between Jan. 1, 2022, and the date of the bill’s enactment from states that meet that criteria. 

“California regulators shouldn’t have the power to determine what vehicles are sold to families in Pennsylvania,” stated Joyce. “One state should not be able to set national policy and Americans should not be forced into making purchases they are unable to afford.” 

The legislation now faces an uncertain fate in the Senate, where a companion bill introduced June 21 by Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) has yet to make it out of committee.