Montgomery, AL – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a coalition of 24 states in filing a brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, opposing a new federal rule that would impose an electric vehicle (EV) mandate on truck manufacturers. The case, Nebraska v. EPA, challenges a rule published in April by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which aims to enforce stricter tailpipe emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, effectively pushing for more electric trucks and fewer internal-combustion vehicles.
Attorney General Marshall expressed concern over the potential impact of the mandate on energy security and the transportation sector. “The Biden-Harris Administration has declared war on American energy, and Americans are tired of its direct impact on their bank accounts,” Marshall said. “If Hurricane Helene and Milton taught us anything, it’s that we cannot rely entirely on electric vehicles. We must have secure, affordable, and reliable access to internal-combustion trucks which have kept our country moving for decades.”
The brief, supported by attorneys general from states including Texas, Florida, and South Carolina, argues that the EPA’s rule exceeds its authority, raising a “major question” that has not been explicitly addressed by Congress. The coalition emphasized that electric trucks currently account for only a small fraction of the market, with battery-powered vehicles representing just 0.1% of all heavy-duty trucks sold today. The new EPA rule, they contend, would force that number to rise to 45% within the next decade, a shift they argue would strain the electric grid, slow the transportation of essential goods, and increase costs for consumers.
The attorneys general also pointed out that the EPA has never before required manufacturers to produce electric versions of heavy-duty vehicles, arguing that such a significant shift in policy should be debated by Congress and the states, not imposed through executive regulation.
The coalition, which includes states from across the country, is urging the court to block the electric-vehicle mandate, stating that it could have far-reaching consequences for the logistics and transportation industries.
