Republicans Push to Overturn Rules on Heavy-Duty Vehicles

North Dakota Senator John Hoeven this week helped introduce a resolution under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), sponsored by Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), to overturn an excessive Biden administration regulation on heavy-duty vehicles. Hoeven previously joined his colleagues in calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to not move forward with the proposal, which will make new, compliant trucks cost-prohibitive for small business owners. According to EPA estimates, the technology required to meet the new rule's standards will cost between $2,568 and $8,304 per vehicle. Further, the EPA is imposing these standards despite the fact that existing regulations on trucks have already resulted in a decrease in NOx emissions between 98 percent and 99 percent compared to models from the late 1990s.

"At a time of record-high inflation, Americans cannot afford more burdensome regulations from the Biden administration, particularly rules that target our already constrained supply chain," said Hoeven. "By increasing costs on the trucking industry, this EPA rule would actually make it harder to replace older trucks with newer models that have reduced emissions. Our resolution would repeal this misguided regulation, protecting our nation's supply chain and U.S. consumers from even higher costs."

"The Biden Administration is saddling the trucking industry with an onerous regulation that would jack up vehicle costs and hurt good paying jobs. This aggressive EPA rule – which will hit mom and pop truck operations the hardest – is also ineffective because it incentivizes operators to keep using older, higher-emitting trucks for longer. During a period of high inflation and supply chain disruptions, the last thing this country needs is more expensive freight costs and fewer truckers. I am proud to be leading a large coalition of my colleagues to push back against the Biden Administration's obsession with excessive climate regulations," said Senator Fischer.

In addition to Hoeven and Fischer, the resolution was cosponsored by Senators Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Todd Young (R-Ind.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).