Four Democrats joined Republicans in the House on Tuesday to pass a resolution rejecting a rule by President Joe Biden that would make emissions standards on trucks 80% tougher, greatly impacting the trucking industry and its functioning starting in 2027.
The Biden rule aims to reduce vehicle tailpipe emissions, but critics say it would put many smaller trucking companies out of business because of the expense required to meet the standard. The House's resolution to shutter the rule passed 221-203.
"Folks, I want to be crystal clear today," member of the highways and transit subcommittee who introduced the resolution Rep. Roy Nehls (R-TX) said on the House floor ahead of the vote. "Woke bureaucrats in Washington are on a climate justice crusade using the heavy hand of government to go after the trucking industry that keeps America moving. And in the last three decades, we've made significant, significant strides in the right direction to decrease emissions and increase efficiency."
"The EPA unilaterally imposed this detrimental rule which could lead to a litany of further supply chain disruptions across the country, hit the smaller mom-and-pop trucking companies the hardest and pass along increased costs to the American consumer," he said. "This is exactly why it is imperative that the House passes this joint resolution to nullify this burdensome regulation."
The EPA projected that the rule could save up to 2,900 deaths and prevent 3.1 million cases of asthma.
That's all well and great, but how many people are going to die if they can't get food from their grocery stores because there aren't enough trucks on the road to do it?
Disrupting our supply chain in major ways seems like it would kill a lot more people than leaving emissions alone, but the Biden administration either isn't considering this or doesn't actually care because the rule makes them look environmentally conscious.
Not to mention taking away the livelihoods of potentially thousands or more of small trucking company owners and operators with its $39 billion projected total price tag.
The new policy is no different than many others that will have destructive impacts on the U.S. economy and living conditions for many Americans.
Biden seems desperate to get rid of fossil fuels no matter how it impacts daily life, to the extent that he is willing to shut down existing energy infrastructure even though it cannot be reliably replaced by anything sustainable with the technology we have now.
In other words, there could be empty shelves, brownouts/blackouts, and other consequences of these policies that will make our lives harder and cause major difficulties because of Biden's policies.
With the forcing of all-electric cars over the next several years, we could also be stuck at home instead of being able to drive where we want or where we need to go to get food and other necessities.
It's like Biden is trying to cripple and restrain people on purpose.
Why would he want to do that?