The Biden administration will impose its strictest emissions limits on vehicles for upcoming model years 2027 through 2032, the Daily Caller reported. An inside source said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set to pass the new limits by April 12.
The federal restrictions will cap so-called greenhouse gases, including nitrogen oxide, carbon dioxide, and more. It would apply to larger, heavy-duty vehicles that could include those essential to construction, farming, and shipping.
The prospect is more probably considering California passed a law banning the sale of gasoline-powered vehicles and cars by 2035 that was approved by the Biden administration. Diesel trucks would be off the road by 2045 based on the emissions standards as well in that state.
The EPA's new standards are also going after power plants which will be required to cut emissions under the new rules expected to roll out later this month. This will add to the EPA's rule last month that capped emissions from power plants in the Midwest on the premise the pollution could spread to neighboring states.
The administration is not explicitly requiring electric vehicles in the place of gas-powered engines, but the crackdown on fossil fuels is undisputed, Fox News reported. During his campaign, President Joe Biden pledged to "end" or "get rid of" this main source of energy.
His goals since taking office include creating a "carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050." As of 2021, only about 12% of total energy usage in the U.S. came from renewables which leaves a considerable amount of ground to cover to meet his goals.
Besides the real-world challenges this policy creates, Biden's attack on fossil fuels will strengthen China. A recent report from the Institute for Energy Research (IER) predicts America will become more dependent on its communist adversary with a switch to renewables.
"Due in large part to government intervention, the United States is becoming progressively more reliant on electric vehicles (EVs) and nonnuclear renewable energy sources for its transportation and energy needs," IER fellow Thomas Wackman wrote in the report. "These technologies rely on a large input of rare earth metals and other mined elements, particularly lithium and cobalt, the supply of which is dominated almost entirely by the People's Republic of China."
The U.S. is increasingly reliant on foreign oil thanks to Biden's restrictions on domestic output. Still, the use of metals not mined stateside presents another problem when China holds all the cards.
"[R]enewables need far higher mineral inputs than their hydrocarbon counterparts," the report stated. "An electric vehicle, for example, requires six times the mineral resources than does a similar gasoline-powered car," it added.
"While some of this demand can be filled by familiar metals like nickel, copper, and aluminum, less common minerals like lithium and cobalt play a key role, as do many so-called ‘rare earth" elements.’" the IER report found. "Therein lies the danger: the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) controls almost the entire global supply chain for all these minerals and other strategic metals," the report said.
"In fact, the United States is far more dependent on Chinese imports for an increasingly important part of its energy portfolio than it ever was on the Middle East for oil supplies." Such a disadvantage in a relationship with China is troubling, considering recent geopolitical developments.
As America has sided against Russia in its war with Ukraine, Chinese leader Xi Jinping made a trip to Moscow to meet his counterpart, The Hill reported. A cozy relationship between the two nations united against the U.S. could easily cripple all sectors that require their technology, including private autos.
It's difficult to believe that Biden and the Democrats don't see this massive problem looming as they attempt to cut off fossil fuel usage through artificial means. If given their way, the American way of life will be just a memory in a few short years.
