SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Governor Spencer Cox has joined 16 other Republican governors in opposing a proposal from the Biden administration that would increase the number of electric vehicles in the U.S.
The proposal put forth by the president hopes to make electric vehicles at least two-thirds of all new car sales by 2032.
In a letter addressed to the president Monday, Cox and the other governors asked Biden to "change course" and allow American consumers to "maintain choice in the types of vehicles they choose to drive."
The governors say such a switch does not reflect the the will of consumers and that it would also penalize automobile retailers.
"Even with deep price-cuts, manufacturers' incentives, and generous government funding, federal mandates on electric vehicles are unrealistic," the letter reads. "The American consumer should be able to decide what technology makes most sense for them, not the federal government."
The Environmental Protection Agency says the electric vehicle proposal, along with others, would cut 10 billion tons of carbon monoxide emissions through 2055, according to The Hill.
Saying they're not opposed to electric vehicles as a whole, the governors in their letter say the current costs and battery requirements "are untenable for today's car buyers." They say the lack of strong demand makes electric vehicles "prohibitively expensive" for Americans.
