Miss. government joins opposition to CMV EV mandate

Several Mississippi Senators and Congressional Delegates have signed onto a letter opposing the EV mandate for commercial vehicles this week. 

Mississippi’s U.S. Senators, Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, and members of the state’s congressional delegation, Trent Kelly, Michael Guest, and Mike Ezell, signed onto a letter opposing the Biden administration’s EV mandate on Monday, July 8th. 

According to Magnolia Tribune, the letter urges the Biden administration to reconsider and reverse regulations put forth in the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles-Phase 3, which “sets stronger standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty (HD) vehicles beginning in model year (MY) 2027.”

“This final rule, which encompasses heavy-duty vehicles ranging from delivery trucks and school buses to tractors and semis, would disrupt the heavy-duty truck industry by forcing the broad adoption of heavy-duty zero emission vehicles on an extremely aggressive timeline, despite these vehicles currently being less than 1% of sales,” the letter states. 

The letter also cites a study that estimated a $1 trillion cost for an EV infrastructure that could accommodate an entire commercial vehicle fleet. “Additionally, the cost for an electric semi-truck averages over $400,000 while a comparable diesel Class 8 truck costs around $180,000 – meaning electric trucks cost an average of 122% more than a normal semi,” the letter reads. 

“Not only would this rule harm consumers, but it would also exacerbate consolidation by effectively forcing our small trucking companies out of business that cannot afford this hasty transition to electric or hydrogen powered trucks…. This unaffordable and unachievable regulation will leave rural communities with grid capacity challenges and limited range versus comparable diesel vehicles. When regulations are rushed and the impacts on the economy are not sufficiently considered, business closures and job losses will result.”

29 US Senate members and 128 members of Congress have signed the opposition letter. U.S. Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith have also co-sponsored SB 3094, which would prevent the EPA from enacting an EV mandate and prevent “future rules that would limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine type.”