Attorney General Gentner Drummond is challenging the efforts of the Biden Administration and the State of California to impose nationwide electric-vehicle mandates on truck owners and operators, through two separate lawsuits.
A coalition of 24 states has filed a petition for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, opposing the Biden Administration's new regulation of emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. A different coalition consisting of 17 states has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, seeking to block a package of regulations targeting trucking fleet owners and operators.
Drummond voiced his commitment to resisting what he perceives as governmental overreach. "These outrageous mandates would force massive costs on commercial trucking that, in turn, will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher prices on anything and everything," he said. He further argued that these initiatives could disrupt the free market system by compelling companies to purchase electric trucks they do not want, which could have significant economic repercussions.
The D.C. Circuit suit targets an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule imposing stringent tailpipe emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles. This rule effectively encourages manufacturers to produce more electric trucks and fewer internal-combustion trucks, despite current limitations in electric truck infrastructure and performance.
The California suit challenges a set of regulations called Advanced Clean Fleets, which requires certain trucking fleet owners and operators to retire internal-combustion trucks and transition to more expensive and less efficient electric trucks. This rule also applies to fleets headquartered outside California if they operate within the state, potentially causing significant nationwide effects on supply chains due to California's large population and access to international trade ports.
In both lawsuits, it will be argued that both the Biden Administration and California regulators have exceeded their constitutional and statutory authority by attempting to enforce a nationwide transition to electric trucks.
Furthermore, both regulations are criticized as being out of touch with reality, as electric trucks are deemed inefficient and costly. It is claimed that these regulations will adversely impact Oklahomans by increasing the costs of interstate transportation, raising prices for goods, and burdening the electric power grid.
Attorneys general from numerous states have joined Drummond in both lawsuits. The Arizona State Legislature has also joined the lawsuit against California regulators.
The litigation documents against the Biden Administration and the California lawsuit can be found on the official website of Attorney General Drummond.