June 9th, 2023 by WCBC Radio
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey joined a coalition of 19 states challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to allow California to illegally ban trucks. That ban forces truckers to buy electric trucks and regulates trucking out of existence through mandating net zero emissions standards.
The Biden administration gave California the authority to force most buses, vans, trucks, and tractor-trailers be electric by 2035. Currently, just 2% of heavy trucks sold in the United States are electric. The ban on traditional trucks is part of the Biden administration’s aggressive climate change agenda, which hikes prices for businesses and consumers. Costs for electric trucks already start at about $100,000 and can reach the high six figures. And even worse—California’s new regulations are setting the standard for the rest of the country. Eight other states have already adopted California’s truck ban, and more are considering it. In West Virginia, the trucking industry supports 34,360 jobs—trucks transported 61% of total manufactured tonnage or 65,448 tons per day, according to the West Virginia Trucking Association. More than 84% of communities in the state depend exclusively on trucks to move their goods. California’s Advanced Clean Trucks regulation is in violation of the Clean Air Act and other federal laws, the coalition argued. Attorney General Morrisey joined the Iowa-led petition with Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Carolina and Utah.
