Tennessee Governor Bill Lee was not among the 16 Republican governors who sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding his administration drop its electric vehicle mandate that would force two-thirds of automobiles sold to be electric by 2032.
Republican Governors Association (RGA) revealed the letter on Monday, and it includes signatures from Republican governors representing four of Tennessee’s neighboring states, namely Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, Governor Glenn Youngkin of Virginia, and Governor Mike Parson of Missouri.
Led by Sanders, who recently appeared at a Tennessee event to support Lee’s forthcoming school choice expansion, the Republican governors demanded Biden “allow American consumers to maintain choice in the types of vehicles they choose to drive” rather than “using government mandates to drive the vehicle market.”
“Your mandates are unrealistic, costly, and prescriptive solutions that harm American consumers,” the governors warned before requesting Biden remove his 2032 mandate “and instead provide a more realistic approach by allowing the free market to determine the direction and the timing for the industry’s growth rather than the federal government.”
Other nationally recognized Republican governors who signed the letter include Governor Kim Reynolds of Iowa, Governor Kristi Noem of South Dakota, and Governor Gregg Abbott of Texas.
Lee’s office did not respond to inquiries from The Tennessee Star that sought to ascertain whether he was invited to participate in the letter or if he supports the effort to persuade Biden to drop his electric vehicle mandate. His office likewise did not reply when asked for Lee’s current opinion on Biden’s mandate for two-thirds of new vehicles to be electric in just under eight years.
As the letter warned, American consumers appear to be slow to adopt electric vehicles.
Last month, about 4,000 car dealerships representing all 50 states signed and sent a letter to Biden warning that electric vehicles were “stacking up on our lots” with demand for them “stalled” among consumers and asking him to “slow down” his “regulations mandating electric battery vehicle production and distribution.”
“Last year, there was a lot of hope and hype about EVs. Early adopters formed an initial line and were ready to buy these vehicles as soon as we had them to sell,” the letter began, before declaring “that enthusiasm has stalled.”
The auto dealers explained, “Today, the supply of unsold BEVs is surging, as they are not selling nearly as fast as they are arriving at our dealerships – even with deep price cuts, manufacturer incentives, and generous government incentives.”
The also asked Biden “to tap the brakes on the unrealistic government electric vehicle mandate.”
– – –
Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Bill Lee” by Milken Educator Awards.
