FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 14, 2024) – Attorney General Russell Coleman continued his efforts to slam the brakes on President Biden’s electric vehicle mandates. General Coleman joined a 24-state coalition challenging the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rule that imposes unreasonable standards and an unworkable timeline on manufacturers to produce more electric heavy-duty trucks.
“The EPA’s outrageous EV truck mandate would force our nation’s commerce and logistics to a grinding halt. We can’t shut down our entire economy in service of a political talking point. President Biden should throw his radial green agenda in reverse before it does irreparable harm to Kentucky workers and families,” said Attorney General Coleman.
Similar to the EPA’s recent regulation for passenger cars, this stringent new rule effectively mandates a significant percentage of new heavy-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. would be electric in under a decade.
The typical diesel-powered semi-truck has a range up to 2,000 miles. Even the highest-end EV semi-truck only has a 500-mile range. EV trucks also can take up to three hours to fully charge while costing roughly twice as much as their diesel counterparts.
According to TRIP, a national transportation research group, trucks carried more than $355 billion of freight on Kentucky highways in a single year. Because electric-powered semis are heavier, have shorter range and have smaller payload capacity, it would take more drivers and vehicles longer to haul the same volume of goods. Consumers would likely face higher costs, heavier truck traffic on the road and longer wait times for their orders.
“The Kentucky Department of Agriculture relies on heavy-duty vehicles to tow trailers and check heavy capacity scales to ensure the integrity of Kentucky’s commerce,” said Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Jonathan Shell. “The Biden Administration is out of touch with the needs of hard-working people but also the way of life in our Kentucky communities. I’m proud to join Attorney General Coleman in his fight to protect Kentucky families.”
This is Attorney General Coleman’s latest effort to fight the Biden Administration’s radical green agenda. In April, he led a 25-state challenge to block the Biden Administration’s EV mandate aimed at gas and diesel-powered cars and trucks. Solicitor General Matt Kuhn and Assistant Solicitor General Jacob Abrahamson are leading the challenge on behalf of the Commonwealth.
Attorney General Coleman joined the Nebraska-led lawsuit alongside his colleagues from the following states: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
