Op-Ed: Fulcher Says Slow Down with EV Rules
By Chuck Malloy • May 22, 2024Of all the stupid things coming out of Washington, this one gets the golden dunce cap.
President Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a rule that will have two-thirds of passenger vehicles and a third of heavy-duty trucks running electricity by 2032 – putting your friendly Chevron and Shell gas stations on the road to extinction.
The proposal needs congressional approval, which is far from a certainty, but think about what this would do for U.S. transportation. It would mean less emissions, less pollution and cleaner air. It could end the nation’s reliance on foreign oil, and the big oil companies would have to find other outlets for their lobbying.
Hmmm, it all sounds good. Where do we sign up?
On second thought … 2032 is just eight years away, and a lot of things would need to happen to accommodate a massive influx of electric vehicles. Last month, my wife (Vicki) and I drove to Arizona, and here’s how many electric vehicle charging stations we saw along the way.
Try zero. No billboards or exit signs pointing to EV charging stations. It’s difficult to imagine in eight years that charging centers will be more common than Chevron stations.
Keep in mind, this is just a “proposed” rule change – which would turn into a government mandate with congressional approval. The rule on passenger cars is pending in the Senate, and Idaho Congressman Russ Fulcher, from the Energy and Commerce Committee, is spearheading efforts keep the rule on trucks from going anywhere in the House.
Fulcher, of course, is no fan of the Biden administration, but his concerns go beyond partisan politics – starting with the infrastructure needed for electric vehicles.
“That’s a real problem,” he told me. “Where are we going to get the electricity to charge all these vehicles? One charge on a heavy-duty truck is about the same as what a typical home uses in a week.”
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The EPA rule is part of the war on fossil fuels, but the administration, and Democrats in general, also are not friendly toward hydro power, nuclear power or mining. All these elements come into play in some form when exploring alternatives to fossil fuels.
“We’re creating this government mandate to shift all these vehicles to electric and at the same time we are restricting our ability to generate electricity. It’s nonsense,” Fulcher says. “The problems keep compounding when you start thinking through the ramifications, and it begs the question, what in the world is this administration thinking?”
Fulcher’s “kill” efforts have plenty of Republican support. Idaho Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch also weighed in on the issue.
“These rules represent yet another attempt by the Biden administration to force its radical green agenda and pick winners and losers in the free market,” said Crapo.
“The Biden administration is determined to have every vehicle on the road be electric regardless of price or feasibility,” says Risch. “An EV mandate will significantly disrupt our nation’s supply chain, raise already high prices and severely impede the ability of consumers and businesses alike to make their own decisions.”
As Fulcher sees it, electric vehicles are not a bad idea. He says that with his short commutes in the D.C. area, it would make sense for him to be driving an electric vehicle and saving on gas. The problem is finding a charging station.
“If you go at the pace that consumers can accept, the Fords and Toyotas of this world could make it work, and especially in urban areas,” Fulcher says. “Over time, the cars will get better, and the infrastructure will come along. But it won’t happen with the heavy hand of government mandating it.”
For now, auto executives are telling congressional members they are not ready for a massive switch to electric vehicles.
“They are telling us that they can build electric vehicles, but people won’t buy them,” Fulcher says.
However, China – the leading adversary of the U.S. – seems to be making inroads in the market.
“So, there will be a wave of cheap and not-very-good Chinese vehicles dropped on the country. For consumers, who knows what they are getting or how safe they will be.”
So, who knows what the administration is thinking. But it’s good to see that Fulcher and others are asking some of the difficult questions.
Chuck Malloy is a long-time Idaho journalist and columnist. He may be reached at ctmalloy@outlook.com
This Op-Ed was submitted by Chuck Malloy. Op-Eds do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of those at the Idaho Dispatch.
Tags: China, Electric Vehicles, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, EV, EV Mandate, Jim Risch, Mike Crapo, President Biden, Russ Fulcher
Yep- EV irregardless of the very real question of how “green” they really are. Just because you use less fuel from the gas station doesn’t mean it’s better. Do a little research before you feel like we should all be driving EV. Question the over-excitement of the president for this amazing fix-all for our environment.
The only answer is to drive less and drive smaller vehicles but people won’t do that. We are looking for ways to make us feel like we are helping our environment and the government is giving us greenwashing. Our only hope is to consume less petrol and stop wasting clean water. Thankfully, there are people out there who are trying to make a real difference.
MAGA=Luddites
RALPH=Clueless
The original Luddites would answer that we are human. Getting past the myth and seeing their protest more clearly is a reminder that it’s possible to live well with technology—but only if we continually question the ways it shapes our lives. It’s about small things, like now and then cutting the cord, shutting down the smartphone and going out for a walk. But it needs to be about big things, too, like standing up against technologies that put money or convenience above other human values. If we don’t want to become, as Carlyle warned, “mechanical in head and in heart,” it may help, every now and then, to ask which of our modern machines General and Eliza Ludd would choose to break. And which they would use to break them.
Richard Carnoff
Smithsonian Magazine
We’re careening towards irreversible, environmental disaster. Slowing progress to accommodate the obscenely powerful and rich oil/coal barons makes no sense.
Okay Karen, shall we get you a soft toy so you can whimper in the corner?
Go back to California or Oregon where you belong.
Just thinking…. This means Trump as president for four years. So bidobama believe that a dem will be President by 2029.
Hmm will the federal government buy out gas cars and give us a free ev car? I don’t think so…. They’re too busy giving our federal tax dollars to non Americans. We’re doomed!!!!
Russ Fulcher is the only Idaho politician at the upper levels I trust.
Chuck Malloy: “The proposal needs congressional approval, which is far from a certainty, but think about what this would do for U.S. transportation. It would mean less emissions, less pollution and cleaner air. It could end the nation’s reliance on foreign oil, and the big oil companies would have to find other outlets for their lobbying.”
GREAT!! We’ll be able to force people to do what we want them to do. That’s the liberal way. Force people to do dumb things just because we said so, even if the facts say something else.
It’s not going to happen by 2032, 2042 or 2052, because We The People don’t want it to happen. No one is going to buy those dumb vehicles. Have you looked at the electric truck sales lately Chuck? Not doing so well, huh? Even with all that government money funding them.
More liberal nonsense from Chuck the lib. Hey Chuck, you seem to love left wing failing policies so much. Were you a big proponent of wearing a mask “to stop the spread”?
The people have spoken and they don’t want to drive overpriced electric vehicles that light on fire from time to time. Yes, people have been lit on fire in these “safe” electric vehicles. I think 21 or so last year alone. That’s a lot. I”ll pass. Sorry buddy you and your liberal friends are going to lose this one.
This is America, we’ll drive the car of our choice. You can drive the “safe” $80,000 electric car if you choose. Your choice, it’s still a free country last time I checked. We’ll resist like we did with the masks to “stop the spread”. We’ll trust the facts, not the so called “science” from the oh so trustworthy political class (“safe and effective” hahaha).
The premise of this op-ed is fraudulent.
Global warming IS A FRAUD (a PROVEN FRAUD for anyone not brainwashed enough to look at the real science) the same as the plannedemic (“the great reset”) was, and the mask mandates to “stop the spread”, and the “safe and effective” jabs are. How have the jabs worked out? Why can’t the liars get anyone to take the newest “vaccine” (poison shot)? Anyone who is paying attention can see hundreds of thousands of healthy people have died suddenly for no apparent reason, heart problems are way up and so is cancer (hmm I wonder why all of a sudden this is all happening? Duh!). Even a brain washed college student should be able to “do the math”, if they’re able to pry their brains away from the “experts” in the government/media/academia complex, for more than a few hours.
First it was called global warming by the frauds, then when that proved false the liars changed it to global cooling, then when the frauds were exposed again, now they changed it to “climate change” just to play it safe. Duh! The climate is always changing, and always has been. How have Al Gore’s predictions turned out? He said the ice caps would be melted by 2014 if we didn’t do what he demanded be done (since he’s so smart and we’re all so dumb)!!! , and a number of other comical “predictions” (fear mongering) he made that not one of them has come to pass so far. What a fraud, yet people like Chuck still buy into the ‘Global Warming” myth.
Now we need electrical cars to “save the planet” (from what? another lie that keeps changing when the facts disprove what they’re saying). Remember when we needed to vax (poison) all the children (3 and under or some nonsense like that), who had basically no threat of getting covid. What sense did that make? None but just shut up and do it anyway because all the media outlets say it’s a good idea. This is yet another fraud just like that Chuck.
College students, who are mostly brainwashed group thinkers, are afraid to look dumb, so they go along with whatever the newest fraud the governments/media/acadamia complex is pushing. The same as Chuck here who buys into the Global Warming hoax, or whatever the newest name is these days by the professional liars in the government/media/academia complex.
Wake up people…If the governments, media and acadamia are pushing something 24/7/365 then any thinking person knows it’s a lie. Haven’t we learned from history yet? Haven’t we learned the media is a bunch of paid liars. Learn to think for yourself and stop letting people who are constantly proven wrong by REAL SCIENCE to think for you. They used to say the way to find out something was research both sides of the story to come up with the truth. Now it’s listen to the side that screams the loudest hysterically OR WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!!!!! Or if you still don’t agree they will physically assault you in the name of saving xyz (insert newest lie here).
Bingo