Michigan Capitol Confidential: Walberg bill to protect gas engine advances to U.S. House

A bill to protect the gas engine from federal regulators, sponsored by Michigan Rep. Tim Walberg, has advanced to the full U.S. House.

The CARS Act is officially known as the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act of 2023. Walberg, R-Tipton, submitted the three-page bill on July 6. Its stated purpose is to “prohibit the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed rule with respect to emissions from vehicles, and for other purposes.”

Walberg sees in proposed regulation a system that favors the electric vehicle and punishes the gas engine, forcing Americans into vehicles they cannot afford. After submitting the bill, he described the proposed regulation as “driving up costs for people and handing the keys of America’s auto industry to China.”

House Resolution 4468 was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a 27-23 vote, the committee reported Thursday. Now it will head to the full House.

The bill would need to pass the House and the Senate in identical forms and be signed by President Joe Biden to enact into law.

This article originally appeared in the Michigan Capitol Confidential on July 30.