Manchin knocks 'dangerous' EPA vehicle emissions standards

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V) blasted recent proposed vehicle emissions standards from the Environmental Protection Agency as a “Trojan horse,” the latest salvo from the West Virginia Democrat against the Biden administration’s environmental policies.

The proposal, issued last week, would result in an estimated two-thirds of light duty cars and 46 percent of medium-duty cars sold in the U.S. being electric by 2032. The proposed rule would apply to model years 2027 to 2032, and be more stringent than existing Biden administration rules for earlier model years.

“To meet these timelines will mean strengthening our reliance on minerals and technologies controlled by the Chinese. Taken in concert with the clear violation of the IRA to undermine provisions that would actually secure these supply chains, this Administration is taking steps that will only result in a more energy secure and powerful China,” Manchin said in a statement. “I don't believe that making progress on climate change should come at the expense of our national and energy security. I fully support Congress overturning these dangerous EPA regulations."

Manchin has long been perhaps the most vocal Democratic critic of the Biden administration on energy and environment issues, and is considered one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the Senate in the 2024 elections.

He has already joined every Senate Republican and another red state Democrat, Jon Tester of Montana, in voting to toss a Labor Department rule on environmental and sustainable governance (ESG) investing through the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

The CRA allows for a simple majority of both houses of Congress to repeal a federal rule. Biden vetoed the resolution, as well as another CRA resolution blocking the EPA’s revised Waters of the United States rule earlier this month.

The West Virginia Democrat has also been a frequent detractor of the Biden administration’s implementation of certain provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping climate and infrastructure bill he voted for in 2022. Legislation he introduced earlier this year would delay tax credits in the bill for electric vehicles until the Treasury Department further clarifies regulations on battery sourcing.