In late June, nine Senate Republicans, led by Senator Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, introduced the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act (S. 2090). The bill would limit the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing Clean Air Act waivers for state policies seeking to ban or otherwise limit the sale of internal combustion engines. This legislation would preserve consumer choice and maintain competition in the automotive markets by ensuring Americans have access to reliable and affordable vehicles.

In his press release, Senator Mullin said, “California’s waivers are not about clean energy, they are about control.”

Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, a co-sponsor of the bill, stated, “Our legislation is all about protecting consumer choice and, ultimately, free market competition that drives down costs.”

You may remember that in March, the House of Representatives introduced H.R. 1435, the House version of this same bill. In just four months, 85 Republican Representatives have joined as co-sponsors.

Representative John Joyce of Pennsylvania, the lead sponsor of the House bill, said this, “Congress must act now to pass the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act and avoid forcing consumers to purchase electric vehicles that fail to meet their needs.”

While it’s unfortunate that this has become a partisan issue, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is pleased to see lawmakers taking the threat to freedom of vehicle choice and the survival of the internal combustion engine seriously.

Preservation of the internal combustion engine and ensuring availability of the fuel needed to run our bikes is a key part of the 2023 MRF legislative agenda. Our thanks to the following cosponsors of S. 2090

• Sen. Markwayne Mullin (OK)
• Sen. Roger Marshall (KS)
• Sen. Pete Ricketts (NE)
• Sen. Ted Cruz (TX)
• Sen. John Barrasso (WY)
• Sen. Kevin Cramer (ND)
• Sen. Dan Sullivan (AK)
• Sen. Roger Wicker (MS)
• Sen. John Hoeven (ND)

To see the list of the 85 House cosponsors, click here.