House backs GOP bill to block EPA rule on tailpipe pollution; slams plan as electric-vehicle mandate

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have approved a bill to block strict new tailpipe pollution limits proposed by the Biden administration, calling the plan a back-door mandate for electric vehicles. A rule proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency would require that up to two-thirds of new vehicles sold in the U.S. are electric by 2032, a nearly tenfold increase over current EV sales. The proposed regulation would set tailpipe emissions limits for the 2027 to 2032 model years that are the strictest ever imposed. The EPA says the rule isn’t an EV mandate, but Republicans say it favors EVs and punishes gas engines, forcing Americans into cars and trucks they can’t afford. The measure now goes to the Senate.