U.S. House passes bill prohibiting bans on gas-powered vehicles

Iowa lawmakers support the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act.

Liam Halawith, Senior News and Politics Editor

September 14, 2023

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, speaks to supporters during a watch party for the 2022 Iowa midterm elections at Spare Time in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022. Hinson is up for reelection for her seat in the house against state Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Hiawatha. Because of redistricting, Hinson is now battling for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, previously she held the seat for the 1st Congressional District. Hinson announced her victory after Mathis conceded.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday prohibiting bans on the sale of gas-powered vehicles. Iowa’s federal delegation in the House supported the bill, with all four voting in favor of the measure.

The bill looks to prohibit bans on the sale of gas-powered vehicles by states like California. President Joe Biden has touted similar policies in his administration’s plan to fight climate change.

These plans would require all new vehicles being sold to be 100 percent electric by 2035. Biden’s plan is currently being challenged in court by a coalition of GOP-leaning states that are challenging the 2021 rule limiting tailpipe emissions from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act would alter the Clean Air Act to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from granting waivers to the Clean Air Act that would ban the purchase of new gas-powered vehicles.

The bill passed the house 222 – 190 with Iowa Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, R- Iowa, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R- Iowa, Zach Nunn, R- Iowa, and Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, all voting in favor.

During a call with reporters on Thursday, Hinson said that the Biden administration’s plan would stress the U.S. power grid, electric cars are still too expensive, and that the infrastructure for electric vehicles was not well developed in rural areas of the U.S.

“The lack of vehicle charging infrastructure in many parts of the country, especially rural areas, makes EVs impractical for many Americans,” Hinson said.

About the Contributors

Liam Halawith, Politics Editor

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Liam Halawith is a third-year student at the University of Iowa studying Journalism and Mass Communication and minoring in Public Policy. Before his role as Politics Editor Liam was a politics reporter for the DI. Outside of the DI Liam has interned at the Cedar Rapids Gazette and the Southeast Iowa Union. This is his second year working for the DI.

Ayrton Breckenridge, Managing Visuals Editor

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Ayrton Breckenridge is the Managing Visuals Editor at The Daily Iowan. He is a senior at the University of Iowa majoring in journalism and cinema. This is his fourth year working for the DI.