National survey finds majority oppose US EPA tailpipe proposal

The data show that Americans are less likely to vote for candidates who support banning sales of gas-fuelled vehicles.

60% of 2024 general election voters oppose government policy that, by 2032, would require 70% of new cars sold in the US to be electric.

Roughly 18% of those surveyed don’t yet have an opinion, indicating one-fifth of the electorate is ripe for additional education and advocacy. While Republicans are near universal (87%) in their opposition to EPA’s de facto ban proposal, a majority of Independents are also opposed (61%). Democrats are split on the matter, with nearly half either opposed (32%) or not sure (27%), and just 41% who support the mandate.

Roughly half of all voters (49%) say they are less likely to vote for a candidate who supports banning the sale of gas-fuelled cars by 2035 (California’s timeline for eliminating sales of traditional gas, diesel, flex fuel and hybrid vehicles). On this question, 78% of Republicans said they would be less likely to support ban-backing candidates as did 52% of Independent voters, underscoring significant potential vulnerability for candidates in competitive contests. Even among Democrat voters, there is very little upside for candidates supporting a ban. A majority of surveyed Democrats say support for gas-vehicle bans either makes them less likely to vote for a candidate (27%) or makes no difference at all (35%).

Members of the House of Representatives should consider these findings ahead of their votes this week on the CARS Act. The legislation, introduced by Representative Tim Walberg (MI-5), is aimed squarely at EPA’s light duty vehicle tailpipe emission proposal covering model years 2027-2032.

The CARS Act will stop EPA from finalising its proposal to require roughly 70% of new car and truck sales to be electric in less than 10 years. The CARS Act will not interfere with EPA’s ability to set ambitious vehicle emissions standards, but it will clarify that EPA standards must be technology neutral, meaning the Agency cannot use standards to ban or otherwise limit access to any vehicle powertrain technologies.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/the-environment/05122023/national-survey-finds-majority-oppose-us-epa-tailpipe-proposal/