In a brazen assault on personal freedom and free market capitalism, the Biden administration has granted California's request to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035. This decision, which represents one of Biden's final acts before the incoming Trump administration takes over, is seen as a cynical attempt to prop up the failing narrative of climate change and assert federal control over what kind of cars Americans can buy.
California's governor, Gavin Newsom, claims this ban is necessary to reduce emissions and combat the alleged "climate emergency." But the reality is that this mandate is an overreach by the federal government and an affront to personal liberty. For decades, California was where people went for freedom – jumping on the bike, popping down the hood and hitting the open road. Now, that very freedom is being strangled by the tentacles of climate change hysteria and misguided government control.
The EPA, under Biden's direction, has approved two waivers that grant California the authority to enforce these strict emissions standards. One waiver mandates that 35% of new car sales be zero-emission vehicles by 2026, rising to 90% by 2035. The second waiver effectively outlaws the sale of new gas-powered vehicles entirely within a decade. This move was widely anticipated and is likely to face immediate resistance from the incoming Trump administration.
It is absurd to claim that electric vehicles are the solution to a manufactured crisis called climate change when their production and disposal pose significant environmental risks. The extraction of lithium, cobalt, and other minerals essential for electric vehicle batteries is an arduous and energy-intensive process. Furthermore, the failure of these batteries to hold charge in cold weather, the potential for catastrophic fires, and the lack of reliable charging infrastructure all point to a technology that is far from the panacea it is sold as.
California, the state leading this effort, already struggles with electricity shortages. Requiring all new vehicles to be electric will likely lead to rolling blackouts and other power issues. The state's primary source of electricity is natural gas, which is supposed to be one of the very pollutants that this mandate seeks to eliminate.
The economic implications of this ban are equally troubling. It will create an artificial scarcity of gas-powered vehicles, driving up prices for those who still want to own them. For millions of Americans, especially those in rural areas or low-income communities, the cost of an electric vehicle is simply out of reach. This move is nothing short of a regressive tax on those who cannot afford the latest eco-friendly gadgets.
In addition, this mandate represents a significant infringement on the rights of states to make their own decisions. Eleven other states, along with California, have agreed to follow its lead. This trend of federal overreach and state capitulation to authoritarian environmental policies must be stopped. The Constitution protects states' rights and personal freedom, but these principles appear to be of little concern to the climate change agenda.
As the Trump administration prepares to take office, we can hope that this ill-conceived green mandate will be quickly overturned. But regardless of its fate, the decision to ban gas-powered vehicles is a reminder of the growing threat to personal freedom and economic liberty posed by the climate change agenda. It's time for Americans to wake up and see this so-called "green revolution" for what it truly is: a power grab by government bureaucrats and a corporate elite who stand to profit from this false narrative.
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