FRANKFORT KY (July 12, 2024) – Attorney General Russell Coleman announced today that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit was randomly selected from a lottery of the possible appellate courts to hear the challenge to the Biden Administration’s latest electric vehicle (EV) mandate.
The Sixth Circuit normally hears appeals from Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Michigan. Along with West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, Coleman led a 26-state coalition in June working to block the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) strict fuel efficiency standards.
“The Biden Administration must now leave the Beltway and come to Middle America to defend its punishing electric vehicle mandate,” said Attorney General Coleman. “Along with our AG colleagues in 25 other states, we are prepared to bring a zealous appeal to challenge this billion-dollar boondoggle to drive gas-powered cars off the road. It’s time for the Biden Administration to reverse its political agenda and focus on delivering real relief for Kentucky families.”
The Biden Administration’s EV mandate from NHTSA would require car manufacturers to dramatically increase the average fuel economy of passenger cars and light trucks in less than a decade. The rule creates unworkable standards that leverage the weight of the federal government to require auto manufacturers to produce more EVs. The forced transition to EVs would bypass the free market while increasing costs on families and undermining the reliability of the electric grid.
EVs account for less than 1% of vehicles registered in Kentucky. This case is the latest of Attorney General’s Coleman’s challenges to the Biden Administration’s radical green agenda. He is leading national coalitions to stop EV mandates and burdensome regulations on manufacturing facilities.
Attorneys General Coleman and Morrisey were joined by Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wyoming.
The Attorney General’s Solicitor General Matt Kuhn and Assistant Solicitor General Jacob Abrahamson are pursuing the case on behalf of the Commonwealth.
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