In a series of votes concluding late this morning, with dozens of Democrats joining with the Republican majority, the U.S. House of Representatives passed two resolutions to block state-level electric vehicle mandates for cars and trucks, respectively. The resolutions, adopted under special procedures created by the Congressional Review Act, will next be taken up by the Senate for consideration.

“NACS applauds this important bipartisan action to rein in misguided regulation and protect consumer choice,” said NACS deputy general counsel Matt Durand. “While there is a clear role for EVs in the market, mandating one technology undermines investment in all others—including the promising alternative fuel technologies already competing to reduce emissions, improve efficiency, and enhance performance across the full breadth of end-user applications.”

The state-level mandates, first adopted by California and approved by the Biden EPA, would phase in an effective ban on the sale of internal combustion engines over the coming decade, requiring that EVs comprise 100% of new cars sold in the state by 2035 and 100% of new trucks sold in the state by 2036. As permitted by the Clean Air Act, at least a dozen other states have since adopted one or both of these California-led mandates in lieu of existing federal performance standards for vehicle emissions.

NACS has long opposed these EV mandates, instead favoring the technology-neutral approach outlined in its recent letter to Congressional leadership. Beyond the legislative branch, NACS is also litigating a challenge to an earlier version of California's EV car mandate, which is currently pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.