President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> was slammed Monday after touting his $7,500 tax credit for electric vehicles while promoting an electric truck that costs over a hundred thousand dollars and has been plagued with issues.
The photo was taken back in 2021 when Biden test drove an electric Hummer while touring the General Motors Factory ZERO electric vehicle assembly plant in Detroit, Michigan.
&#8220;On my watch, the great American road trip is going to be fully electrified,&#8221; Biden claimed. &#8220;And now, through a tax credit, you can get up to $7,500 on a new electric vehicle.&#8221;
Biden&#8217;s claims about the tax credit are misleading as the overwhelming majority of new electric vehicles, approximately 70%, do not qualify for the tax credit, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/us-auto-trade-group-warns-ev-tax-proposal-would-make-70-ineligible-2022-08-05/">said</a>.
The electric Hummer that Biden showed off in the tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidZipper/status/1620192537591025665">does not</a> qualify for the tax credit because it is significantly more expensive than the maximum MSRP (manufacturer&#8217;s suggested retail price) allowed.
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On my watch, the great American road trip is going to be fully electrified.
And now, through a tax credit, you can get up to $7,500 on a new electric vehicle. <a href="https://t.co/n3iZ9etL4A">pic.twitter.com/n3iZ9etL4A</a>
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1620138541937205250?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The lowest level electric Hummer has an <a href="https://www.motortrend.com/features/how-much-is-a-gmc-hummer-ev-pickup-suv?slide=11">MSRP</a> of $86,645, however, with the continued supply chain issues, consumers will have a very difficult time finding even the base-level model for under $100,000 due to market demand.
Higher-level trim models of the electric Hummer have an MSRP of $112,595 but sell for significantly higher sums. The <a href="https://insideevs.com/news/596221/gmc-hummer-ev-edition-1-sells-for-324500-usd-auction-new-record/">most</a> amount of money that an electric Hummer has been sold for is $324,500.
The electric Hummers have had <a href="https://www.thestreet.com/investing/gmc-hummer-ev-recalled-over-battery-problem#:~:text=The%20automaker%20is%20issuing%20recalls,leaking%20into%20the%20battery%20packs.&amp;text=General%20Motors%20(GM)%20%2D%20Get,a%20battery%20pack%20sealing%20problem.">significant issues</a> that have plagued GM&#8217;s relaunch of brand, including recalls over water leaking into the battery packs, and the vehicle randomly dying <a href="https://www.hotcars.com/gmc-hummer-ev-breaks-down/">on road</a> and <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/electric-hummer-off-roading-trip-fails-middle-desert">off road</a>.
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) responded, &#8220;How out of touch can you be?&#8221;
&#8220;Great example of an out-of-touch Green New Deal policy thrown into Biden&#8217;s so-called Inflation Reduction Act last Congress,&#8221; Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) tweeted. &#8220;That vehicle costs about $100,000 – Kansas families dealing with rising prices shouldn&#8217;t be forced to subsidize Americans buying any luxury EVs.&#8221;
David Zipper, Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, responded, &#8220;Biden is giving free publicity to the Hummer EV, a 4.5-ton behemoth so inefficient that it pollutes more per mile than a *gas-powered* sedan.&#8221;
&#8220;As if that POTUS tweet wasn’t bad enough, the Hummer EV isn&#8217;t even eligible for a $7,500 federal credit,&#8221; Zipper added. &#8220;The Hummer EV costs ~$110k, and the credit is capped at $80k.&#8221;
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Biden is giving free publicity to the Hummer EV, a 4.5-ton behemoth so inefficient that it pollutes more per mile than a *gas-powered* sedan.
Source: <a href="https://t.co/93TnWu8MFf">https://t.co/93TnWu8MFf</a> <a href="https://t.co/wg1OovwYM4">https://t.co/wg1OovwYM4</a>
&mdash; David Zipper (@DavidZipper) <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidZipper/status/1620165707257499650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Others, like Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), responded by mocking Biden.
Reschenthaler tweeted out a meme of Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; faces superimposed on cast from &#8220;Pawn Stars.&#8221;
&#8220;AMERICANS: We can&#8217;t afford to fill up our gas tanks. Please help us,&#8221; Reschenthaler tweeted.
The tweet then said &#8220;BIDEN:&#8221; and pointed to the meme while showed Biden saying, &#8220;best I can do is a $110,000 electric car.&#8221;
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AMERICANS: We can&#39;t afford to fill up our gas tanks. Please help us.
BIDEN: <a href="https://t.co/8euOUqKIWB">https://t.co/8euOUqKIWB</a> <a href="https://t.co/droIwMVumN">pic.twitter.com/droIwMVumN</a>
&mdash; Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) <a href="https://twitter.com/GReschenthaler/status/1620203574641971207?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-BIDEN-AUTOMOBILE-ENVIRONMENT-GM-ENERGY

Biden Blasted After Touting Tax Credit To Help Americans Purchase Electric Truck That Costs Six-Figures

Electric cars

electric vehicles

Executive

Joe Biden

U.S.

Podcast giant <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-rogan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Rogan</a> used his show this week to shine a light on some of the horrifying slave conditions that are used to mine the raw materials used to make electric car batteries and batteries for other devices like cell phones and laptops.
Rogan brought on activist Siddharth Kara to talk about what happens at these mines in Africa, specifically in the Congo.
&#8220;Throughout the whole history of slavery, I mean, going back centuries, never, never in human history, has there been more suffering that generated more profit, and was linked to the lives of more people around the world, ever, ever in history than what&#8217;s happening in the Congo right now,&#8221; Kara said. &#8220;And the reason I say that is this: the cobalt that&#8217;s being mined in the Congo is in every single lithium ion rechargeable battery manufactured in the world today, every smartphone, every tablet, every laptop, and crucially, every electric vehicle.&#8221;
Kara noted that mining conditions in the country are so bad that people are forced at gunpoint to dig for these materials by hand.
&#8220;Cobalt really took off about 10-12 years ago,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And it&#8217;s in another part of the country in the mining provinces in the southeast of the Congo. And cobalt took off because it started to be used in lithium ion batteries to maximize their charge and stability. And it just so happens that the Congo, just as it was sitting on more than half the world&#8217;s reserves of coltan and of course, a lot of gold and diamonds and other things, is sitting on more cobalt than the rest of the planet combined. And it&#8217;s in a small little patch of the Congo, southeastern corner — a part that used to be called Katanga, and before anybody knew what was happening, Chinese government, Chinese mining companies took control of almost all the big mines, and the local population has been displaced, is under duress, and they dig in absolutely subhuman, gut-wrenching conditions for $1 a day, feeding cobalt up the supply chain into all the phones, all the tablets, and especially electric cars.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Joe Rogan: EXPOSES The Battery Mining Industry!! EXTREME Problems In The Harshest Conditions !?!" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/piXwDW36jBQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
TRANSCRIPTS:
<blockquote>SIDDHARTH KARA, ACTIVIST: We can dig into this in more depth. Throughout the whole history of slavery, I mean, going back centuries, never, never in human history, has there been more suffering that generated more profit, and was linked to the lives of more people around the world, ever, ever in history than what&#8217;s happening in the Congo right now. And the reason I say that is this: the cobalt that&#8217;s being mined in the Congo is in every single lithium ion rechargeable battery manufactured in the world today, every smartphone, every tablet, every laptop, and crucially, every electric vehicle. So you and I, we can&#8217;t function on a day-to-day basis without cobalt, and three fourths of the supply is coming out of the Congo. And it&#8217;s being mined in appalling, heart-wrenching, dangerous conditions. And so that&#8217;s why people need to know because by and large, the world doesn&#8217;t know what&#8217;s happening in the Congo.
JOE ROGAN, HOST: It&#8217;s something that people sort of know, peripherally, that, you know, they call them conflict minerals. And, you know, they know that they&#8217;re coming from an area of the world that&#8217;s very poor, but I don&#8217;t think people are aware of how horrible it is. There has been, have been some documentaries that have been done, and they&#8217;re all terrifying.
KARA: Yeah. So. So, conflict minerals was phase one. And that&#8217;s actually not cobalt.
ROGAN: What does it refer to, conflict minerals?
KARA: So, conflict minerals, also called the 3TG minerals are tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. And those are in the eastern Congo. And that catastrophe started around the year 2000, late 1990s, 2000, shortly after the Rwandan genocide. The militias moved in and Eastern Congo is sitting on some of the largest reserves in the world of those 3TG minerals, especially tantalum. And those are all used in microprocessors. And you can think back to, you know, around the year 2000. Mobile phones first started coming out and gaining traction. I still remember my little StarTAC flip phone that I had from Motorola, you remember that? And all that supply was coming out of Eastern Congo, militias and warlords were forcing the local population at gunpoint, machete point, to dig this stuff out. And it was flowing up into the formal supply chain into mostly those first generation cell phones. And that became known as conflict minerals. Cobalt started later. Cobalt really took off about 10-12 years ago. And it&#8217;s in another part of the country in the mining provinces in the southeast of the Congo. And cobalt took off because it started to be used in lithium ion batteries to maximize their charge and stability. And it just so happens that the Congo, just as it was sitting on more than half the world&#8217;s reserves of coltan and of course, a lot of gold and diamonds and other things, is sitting on more cobalt than the rest of the planet combined. And it&#8217;s in a small little patch of the Congo, southeastern corner — a part that used to be called Katanga, and before anybody knew what was happening, Chinese government, Chinese mining companies took control of almost all the big mines, and the local population has been displaced, is under duress, and they dig in absolutely subhuman, gut-wrenching conditions for $1 a day, feeding cobalt up the supply chain into all the phones, all the tablets, and especially electric cars.
ROGAN: And we&#8217;re looking at a video now. Jamie, is this the mines? 
JAMIE: It&#8217;s his video. 
ROGAN: This is so crazy to see. 
KARA: This is the bottom of the supply chain of your iPhone, of your Tesla, of your Samsung. I mean, I&#8217;m just naming those companies, it&#8217;s all of them, right? All of them. We&#8217;re not just picking on them. And here&#8217;s what you need to know, Joe, about this video. I was the first outsider to get into this mine. And that&#8217;s why it&#8217;s just a really short video that I was able to take. This is an industrial cobalt mine, where there&#8217;s not supposed to be one artisanal miner. Now, that&#8217;s the term use for people who are just digging by hand as opposed to tractors and excavators. There is not supposed to be one here. That&#8217;s what the story is told at the top of the chain. This mine, and I can name it, it’s called Shibaura, there is not supposed to be one artisanal miner here, according to the consumer-facing tech companies and EV companies buying this cobalt. Low and behold, I walk into this place, and this is what I see. There&#8217;s more than 15,000 human beings crammed into that pit, digging by hand. And if you have sound, you hear the mallets, you hear the shouting, you hear the the grunts, it&#8217;s a mass of humanity, you might expect to see a scene like this.
ROGAN: So, there&#8217;s a term that gets used, “clean cobalt”?
KARA: There&#8217;s no clean cobalt.
ROGAN: It&#8217;s not real? 
KARA: No, no, it&#8217;s all marketing. It&#8217;s all PR, it&#8217;s a fiction, just like that place. There&#8217;s not supposed to be any artisanal mining there. It&#8217;s all done industrially. That&#8217;s the story told at the top of the chain. And people assume, people I mean, the marketing teams at big tech and EV companies, assume, well, who&#8217;s gonna go down there and actually walk into the place and grab a video that shows no, it&#8217;s actually all raw human force that is clanking that cobalt out of the ground? So there&#8217;s no clean cobalt. There&#8217;s not a single company on planet Earth that makes a device that has a rechargeable battery in it that can reliably and justifiably claim that their cobalt isn&#8217;t coming from sources like that. And that&#8217;s the truth that needs to get out there. That&#8217;s the truth people need to understand. Because this is a story that goes back generations. There&#8217;s these fictions told at the top of the chain about what conditions are like at the bottom. And truth seekers have to go find that truth and enlighten civilization so that people, people get agitated about it, and want to do something about it. So there&#8217;s no clean cobalt, let&#8217;s just make that totally, abundantly clear. And anyone that claims otherwise is either peddling in falsehoods or is recklessly ignorant of the truth.
ROGAN: Are there any industrialized cobalt mines that use machinery and don&#8217;t use slavery and don&#8217;t use child labor and don&#8217;t use these people that live in unimaginable poverty?
KARA: I&#8217;ve never seen one. And I&#8217;ve been to almost all the major industrial cobalt mines. Here&#8217;s why I say that. Number one, they all, or almost all, will have scenes like that on them. Thousands of individuals clanking away for $1 or two $2 a day, okay? They don&#8217;t have safety equipment. All that stuff, cobalt is toxic, toxic to breathe. They&#8217;re breathing it in all day.
ROGAN: No masks, no filtration systems?
KARA: No masks, no gloves, no — half those guys are in flip flops, all right? So almost all the industrial minds will have scenes like that.</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/joe-rogan-slams-professors-who-defend-unhealthy-lifestyles-f-off-fat-professors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Rogan Slams Professors Who Defend Unhealthy Lifestyles: ‘F*** Off, Fat Professors’</a>

Joe Rogan-2

Joe Rogan’s Podcast Shows Horrifying Slave Conditions Used To Mine Materials Needed For Electric Cars

Africa

cell phones

General

Joe Rogan

World

The head of the world&#8217;s largest <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">automaker</a> said this week that he remains skeptical of trying to move to only producing electric vehicles and that the majority of people who work in the auto industry agree with him.
Toyota Motor chief Akio Toyoda made the remarks while speaking to reporters during a visit to Thailand.
“People involved in the auto industry are largely a silent majority,” Toyoda said. “That silent majority is wondering whether EVs are really OK to have as a single option. But they think it’s the trend so they can’t speak out loudly.”
“Because the right answer is still unclear, we shouldn’t limit ourselves to just one option,” he added.
The remarks come as supply chain issues that were sparked by the coronavirus pandemic have continued to make it difficult for manufacturers to get the raw materials needed to make new cars, especially electric vehicles.
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/toyota-president-says-silent-majority-has-doubts-about-pursuing-only-evs-11671372223" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that while some of Toyota&#8217;s rivals have jumped fully on board with electric vehicles — setting future dates at which point their companies would only produce electric vehicles — Toyota has diversified its future product offerings and is focused on making traditional gas cars, hybrids, and hydrogen-powered vehicles.
Jack Hollis, Executive Vice President of Sales at Toyota Motor North America, said earlier this year that the company does not believe that the demand for electric vehicles is as high as people think it is.
&#8220;I don’t think the market is ready. I don’t think the infrastructure is ready,&#8221; he <a href="https://electrek.co/2022/08/25/toyota-says-no-ev-demand-try-selling-one-wheels-dont-fall-off/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &#8220;And even if you were ready to purchase one, and if you could afford it … (the price is) still too high … It took 25 years to get to less than 10% (market share) for hybrid … The consumer isn’t demanding (EVs) at that level. The consumer is not screaming, ‘30% or 40% by tomorrow.’”
With looming negative economic conditions in the U.S. on the horizon, combined with lowered gas prices, increasing interest rates, and high inflation rates, the market for electric vehicles could take even longer to expand.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also warned that the transition away from oil and gas is not as easy as people think and that society would be devastated overnight if it tried to stop using fossil fuels.
“At this time, we actually need more oil and gas, not less,” Musk said. “Realistically I think we need to use oil and gas in the short term, because otherwise civilization will crumble. One of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced is the transition to sustainable energy and to a sustainable economy. That will take some decades to complete.”

Toyota and Softbank Joint News Conference

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda: ‘Silent Majority’ Of Automakers Not Fully Sold On Electric Vehicles

Business

Cars

Economy

Gasoline

Switzerland is considering banning electric vehicles for non-essential travel this winter as the continent deals with an energy crisis sparked by Russia&#8217;s war in Ukraine.
The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/12/03/electric-car-journeys-could-restricted-switzerland-plan-deal/">reported</a> that government officials have already drafted plans to conserve energy that could include limiting heat in buildings to no more than 68 degrees Fahrenheit and reducing the number of hours stores can be open.
Stricter measures could be enacted, including banning large indoor gatherings like sporting events, concerts, and theatre events, the report said.
Switzerland relies heavily on hydroelectric power, which constitutes nearly two-thirds of its energy supply, the excess of which it exports during the time of year that it can generate the most electricity from rain and snowfall, the report said. It then typically is forced to import energy during the rest of the year as its nuclear resources, which it has been working to phase out, and its fossil fuel resources are not enough to meet demand.
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The country has created a two-tier system for dealing with the energy shortage: emergency and crisis.
When in the &#8220;emergency&#8221; tier, there are three levels of restrictions, and in the &#8220;crisis&#8221; tier, there are two levels.
Electric vehicles would face restrictions in the third level of the emergency tier.
In late August, officials in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> unveiled a plan to phase out new <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">gas</a>-powered cars and days later asked residents to avoid charging their <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/electric-cars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electric vehicles</a> in the interest of not overwhelming the <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/energy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">power</a> grid during a heat wave.
The warnings of low grid capacity came days after the California Air Resources Board <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-expected-to-ban-sale-of-new-gas-cars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">issued new rules</a> requiring 35% of new vehicles to produce zero emissions by 2026 — a standard that will rise to a 68% benchmark by 2030 and a 100% level by 2035. Yet experts have warned that the state’s electric grid will require significant upgrades to manage a rapid transition away from internal combustion vehicles.
“Today, most people charge their electric cars when they come home in the evening — when electricity demand is typically at its peak,” according to researchers at Cornell University’s <a href="https://www.ece.cornell.edu/spotlights/prepare-grid-now-power-electric-vehicles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">College of Engineering</a>. “If left unmanaged, the power demanded from many electric vehicles charging simultaneously in the evening will amplify existing peak loads, potentially outstripping the grid’s current capacity to meet demand.”
Ben Zeisloft contributed to this report.

Luxury Mercedes-Benz AG Automobile Assembly

European Country Considers Banning Electric Vehicle Travel Amid Energy Crisis: Report

Energy

Switzerland

Ukraine-Russia War

More than 150 <a class="c-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gop" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gop" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">Republican</a> legislators are asking President Joe <a class="c-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/biden" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">Biden</a> to not accept <a class="c-link" href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">California’s</a> recent green energy car rules by refusing the state&#8217;s request for a waiver.
According to the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/state-and-local-transportation/vehicle-emissions-california-waivers-and-authorizations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Environmental Protection Agency</a> (EPA), the Clean Air Act lets California attempt to receive a waiver that would allow the state to set its own emission regulations for new cars.
The EPA has to approve the waiver prior to the rules going into effect, and is supposed to do so unless the state “was arbitrary and capricious in its finding that its standards are, in the aggregate, at least as protective of public health and welfare as applicable federal standards;” “does not need such standards to meet compelling and extraordinary conditions;” or “such standards and accompanying enforcement procedures are not consistent with Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act.”
Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) led the Republican pushback, along with almost three-quarters of the Republicans in the House of Representatives. The lawmakers don&#8217;t want Biden to approve the State of California’s Air Resource Board (CARB) Clean Air Act waiver request.
The board’s new rules would require 35% of all new car sales in California to be electric vehicles by 2026, with all internal combustion engines done away with by 2035, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/150-house-republicans-call-biden-reject-californias-waiver-request-green-car-regulations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox News</a>.
The Washington Times <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2022/oct/6/house-republicans-urge-joe-biden-reject-california/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">noted</a> that 68% of cars need to be electric by 2030. The state already voluntarily has a high number of electric vehicles. The outlet reported that around 16% of new cars sold during the first half of 2022 were zero-emission vehicles, per the California Energy Commission. Almost 10% of cars <a href="https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-product/global-ev-outlook-2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sold</a> around the world were electric last year.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/technology-california-clean-air-act-vehicle-emissions-standards-eebb48c13e24835f2c5b9cb56796182a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seventeen</a> states have vehicle emissions rules connected to California&#8217;s actions, and could decide to create new regulations like those California is attempting to push.
Republicans wrote to Biden, asking him to &#8220;reject California’s forthcoming request for this waiver due to widespread concerns for the negative impact it will have on the electric grid, the need for additional power generation, the overreliance on foreign adversaries for critical minerals, and the right of Americans to choose for themselves which vehicles they wish to drive.”
They said it is &#8220;disconcerting that California is attempting to ban ICE vehicles when there have already been real world examples showing California’s grid will not be able to handle the increased electric load,&#8221; reportedly discussing how the government <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-asks-residents-to-avoid-charging-electric-vehicles-due-to-blackout-risk-days-after-unveiling-new-gas-car-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> people who live in California not to charge their electric cars during a heat wave following the news about the policy change.
During California’s recent heat wave, residents were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-reaches-highest-energy-costs-since-2020-outages-residents-are-asked-to-reduce-power-use" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> to reduce power use when solar energy generation was not available, creating a situation many realize will not improve with more cars on the road and an undependable electric grid.

Electric vehicle charging station sign, Los Angeles, CA.

More Than 150 GOP House Members Ask Biden To Refuse California’s Waiver Request For Electric Vehicle Rules

More Than 150 GOP House Members Ask President Joe Biden To Refuse California's Air Resource Board (CARB) Clean Air Act Waiver Request For Electric Vehicle Rules

California

U.S. House of Representatives

California’s new utopian dream of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-regulators-approve-banning-new-gas-car-sales">banning new, gas-powered cars</a> is symptomatic of a brand of progressive politics that is good for messianic rhetoric but dreadful for the lives and pocketbooks of everyday citizens. Progressives are oratorically concerned about income inequality, yet they aggressively implement policies whose consequences make it far worse. 
Last week, the state of California continued its needless but never-ending war against working-class citizens.
Keep in mind: California <a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/states-with-the-highest-gas-prices">has already seen</a> the highest or second highest gas prices in the entire country, depending on the week. California has already experienced a <a href="https://therealdeal.com/la/2022/07/20/analysis-report-puts-california-housing-shortage-in-national-perspective/">severe housing shortage</a> and is currently building <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/07/13/these-are-americas-10-most-expensive-states-to-live-in.html">110,000 fewer housing units</a> than what is needed to keep up with demand (and has continued to prodigiously do so for 30 years). California has already undergone energy shortages — officials last May candidly revealed they had doubts that the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/california-says-it-needs-more-power-keep-lights-2022-05-06/">state’s electric grid had the capacity</a> to keep the lights on during the summer months. California is <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-drought-reaches-record-levels">already in the clutches</a> of a cataclysmic, Biblical-level drought. And, finally, California already has <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2022-04-15/taxes-too-high-lot-of-californians-think-so">sky-high taxes</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/environmental-policies-are-leaving-california-farmers-in-the-dust">byzantine regulatory practices</a>, and is generally considered to be one of the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/should-raise-alarm-bells-across-the-country-california-paves-road-to-40-minimum-wage-increases-for-certain-restaurants">most hostile business climates</a> in the country. 
But don’t worry. California is trying its best to make things even worse for working-class citizens under the auspices of fighting climate change by stealthily enlisting 39 million citizens as obedient eco-warriors. Last week, California released a timetable for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-expected-to-ban-sale-of-new-gas-cars">banning new gas-powered cars</a> — that are, to use the sanctimonious parlance of the Left, deeply “problematic” — by 2036.
Though, if you read the fine print, you’ll see that the bureaucratic zaniness quickly jumps off the regulatory page. If car manufacturers want access to the California auto market, then in just four years’ time 35% of cars and light trucks will have to be electric. Sounds great until one realizes that <a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/05/10/as-statewide-zev-sales-exceed-16-percent-of-all-new-vehicles-california-zev-program-surpasses-250000-point-of-sale-incentives/">only 16%</a> of the California car market today is populated with electric vehicles; thus, to meet this hefty goal, California would have to experience a meteoric 119% increase in electric vehicle demand in just four years.
Keep in mind that the <a href="https://electrek.co/2022/07/25/average-electric-car-price-hit-66000-us-whole-story/">average electric vehicle</a> now sells for roughly $66,000, an increase, by the way, of 13% from just a year ago — not exactly an affordable option for working-class families, even with the 1.8 billion in <a href="https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/08/california-electric-cars-rebates/">California rebates and incentives</a>. Add in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-inflation-bill-made-7500-electric-vehicle-tax-credits-ford-and-gm-just-raised-their-prices-by-the-same-amount">$7,500 tax credit</a> from Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, and there is a good chance electric cars will continue to be out of reach for middle-income California families. As Joel Kotkin in National Review <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/05/green-rope-a-dope-china-watches-as-america-greens/">has rightly observed</a>, “Like many other current green policies, the shift to electric cars will also threaten the living standards of working- and middle-class households. As the prices of rare metals and computer chips surge, the prices of EVs have grown.”
But even if Californians were to empty their pocketbooks with a righteous sense of environmental euphoria and suddenly flock to electric vehicles, there are pesky laws of economics, scarcity, and infrastructure development that stand in the way. California’s plan has been labeled <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/26/climate/california-electric-gasoline-car-ban-enforcement.html">“audacious”</a> by The New York Times. The word “foolhardy,” or even “hubris,” is more appropriate. 
To find out why, ask some very basic questions:
<h3>Where are these millions of electric cars going to be charged?</h3>
If eight million new electric vehicles are going to be on the road by 2030, then almost 1.2 million new charging stations will need to be installed and functional in less than half a decade, a <a href="https://www.energy.ca.gov/publications/2020/assembly-bill-2127-electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-assessment-analyzing">state report</a> found. How many charging stations currently meet these criteria today? <a href="https://calmatters.org/environment/2022/04/california-electric-cars-rule-zero-emissions/">A mere 70,000</a>. And the ones that do exist often do not work. According to research firm <a href="https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-us-electric-vehicle-experience-evx-public-charging-study">J.D. Power</a>, one of the primary reasons consumers currently eschew electric vehicles is the lack of availability and reliability of current charging stations. And what about people who park on the street? Do we ask them to sell their cars and get on the city bus forever?
<h3>Where are the minerals and materials to make these millions of new electric engines going to come from?</h3>
One of the chief components of EV batteries is lithium. China <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/china-lithium-mining-production/#:~:text=China%20controls%20at%20least%20two,market%20for%20years%20to%20come.">controls</a> at least two-thirds of the world’s capacity for refining lithium, and it <a href="https://www.woodmac.com/news/opinion/batteries-with-chinese-characteristics/">produces</a> 75% of all lithium-ion batteries. If the aim is to recalibrate the American economy from a historic dependence on Middle Eastern OPEC oil to Chinese-made lithium batteries instead, California is certainly doing its part. Consider that over <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/06/adam-smith-and-evs-going-in-different-directions/">98% of permanent magnets</a> come from China. While the Golden State’s earnest hope is for automobile companies to develop economies of scale in the mass production of electric cars and light trucks, thus bringing down costs and boosting affordability, the more likely scenario is that skyrocketing prices of rare earth metals will make them even more of an extravagance. Prices of lithium carbonate have risen almost tenfold this year, and cobalt is <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2022/06/adam-smith-and-evs-going-in-different-directions/">up 150%</a>.
Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom’s presidential ambitions certainly play a role in this bonanza of environmental largesse. And for what it is worth, Newsom seems to gleefully play the role of a Green New Deal cowboy, happily herding millions of progressive Californians into his laboratory of public policy experimentation. And why wouldn’t he? California voters rarely seem to balk at the scope and cost of his ambitions, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-california-gov-newsom-projected-to-beat-recall-attempt-in-landslide">overwhelmingly rejecting</a> the attempt to recall him last fall, despite the absolute senselessness of his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-students-scores-suffered-during-covid-lockdowns-but-newsom-accepts-an-award-for-education">sprawling and harmful</a> COVID policies. He is certain to win re-election by a large margin in just a few months.
However, Newsom would be wise to remember that while voters outside of the Golden State don’t mind being nudged — conservatives like solar panels and clean air as much as West Coast cosmopolitans — they don’t particularly appreciate being hastily shoved in a direction they cannot afford. Public policy by executive fiat that is rooted in ideological utopianism, unmoored from the laws of economics and prudence, might make for great rhetoric. 
Mr. Newsom will surely claim to be saving humanity and Mother Earth with his Green policies. But it is also making Californians leave their state in droves. Nothing is more of an indictment of one’s tenure as a governor than the fact that no one wants to live in the state he has had free-reign to govern. “I’ll do for America what I did for California.”
No thanks. No one can afford it.
Jeremy S. Adams is the author of the recently-released Amazon best-selling book Hollowed Out: A Warning About America&#8217;s Next Generation. He has taught American civics for 24 years in Bakersfield, California and was the 2014 California Teacher of the Year (DAR). You can follow him on Twitter @JeremyAdams6.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Market St, San Francisco

California’s Never-Ending War On The Working Class

Gas Prices

Gavin Newsom

Readers Pass

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/washington">Washington</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> are following a policy from <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/california">California</a> to ban the sale of new <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/oil-and-gas">gasoline</a>-powered cars by 2035.
Rules from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) require 35% of new vehicles to produce zero emissions by 2026 before rising to a 68% benchmark by 2030 and a 100% level by 2035. Both Washington and Massachusetts had enacted legislation conforming the states to recommendations from CARB as of 2019, <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/sites/default/files/2019-03/177-states.pdf">according</a> to the agency.
“This is a critical milestone in our climate fight,” Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovInslee/status/1562512247616045056?s=20&amp;t=rYvGc0n3cesUmRWNpvpKQQ">said</a> on social media, setting the goal of “all new car sales to be zero emissions by 2030.”
California accounts for 11.7% of new light-duty vehicle sales in the United States, according to CARB, while Massachusetts and Washington account for 2.1% and 1.8% of sales, respectively. The road to electric vehicle adoption, however, may be steep — California has 563,070 registered electric vehicles while Washington and Massachusetts have 66,810 and 30,470, respectively, according to the <a href="https://afdc.energy.gov/data/10962">Department of Energy</a>.
Officials in the Biden administration have come under fire for suggesting that renewable energy subsidies passed under the Inflation Reduction Act will help the middle class contend with higher price levels, particularly with respect to fuel.
“If you are low income, you can get your home entirely weatherized through the expansion from the bipartisan infrastructure laws,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-dont-know-how-they-sound-critics-roast-energy-secretary-for-telling-poor-people-to-buy-solar-panels">said</a> earlier this month on Fox News. “If you are moderate income, today you can get 30% off the price of solar panels. Those solar panels can be financed, so you don’t have to have the big outlay at the front … If you don’t qualify for the weatherization program, you will be able to, starting next year, get rebates on the appliances and equipment that will help you reduce your monthly energy bill by up to 30%. That is all about reducing costs for people.”
Beyond state governments, corporations around the world are seeking to accelerate a shift toward electric vehicles. Bank Australia, for example, will no longer offer loans for new gas-powered cars and plans to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/australian-bank-to-end-loans-for-new-gas-cars-pushes-electric-vehicles-instead">implement</a> the policy beginning in the next three years as part of its commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2035.
“By ceasing car loans for new fossil fuel vehicles, we are sending a signal to the Australian market about the rapid acceleration in the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles we expect to see in the next few years,” Bank Australia Chief Impact Officer Sasha Courville said at a recent summit, according to a press release. “We’ve chosen 2025 because the change to electric vehicles needs to happen quickly, and we believe it can with the right supporting policies in place to bring a greater range of more affordable electric vehicles to Australia.”
Texas, however, recently cut ties with BlackRock, UBS, and eight other financial institutions <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/texas-cuts-ties-with-blackrock-other-woke-firms-over-their-hatred-for-fossil-fuels">hostile</a> to fossil fuel investment. Comptroller Glenn Hegar identified firms that are “refusing to deal with” or “terminating business activities” with companies involved in the production and use of fossil fuels “without an ordinary business purpose” based upon an evaluation of their commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) objectives — which, in some cases, included vows to third-party climate advocacy groups like Net Zero Banking Alliance.

Two More States Follow California’s Ban On New Gas Cars

Washington And Massachusetts Follow California's Bid To Ban New Gas Cars

Massachusetts

Oil and Gas

Washington

Bank <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/australia" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australia</a> will no longer offer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/banks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loans</a> for new gas-powered cars and is encouraging customers to buy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/electric-cars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">electric vehicles</a>, the company announced on Friday.
The customer-owned bank, which has roughly $5 billion in assets under management, will implement the policy beginning in 2025 as part of its commitment to achieving net zero <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/climate-change" target="_blank" rel="noopener">carbon</a> emissions by 2035.
“By ceasing car loans for new fossil fuel vehicles, we are sending a signal to the Australian market about the rapid acceleration in the transition from internal combustion to electric vehicles we expect to see in the next few years,” Bank Australia Chief Impact Officer Sasha Courville said at a recent summit, according to a <a href="https://bankaust.com.au/blog/bank-australia-to-cease-loans-for-new-fossil-fuel-cars-from-2025">press release</a>. “We’ve chosen 2025 because the change to electric vehicles needs to happen quickly, and we believe it can with the right supporting policies in place to bring a greater range of more affordable electric vehicles to Australia.”
Noting that many consumers are not yet able to afford an electric car, Courville specified that Bank Australia would “continue to offer loans for second hand fossil fuel vehicles until there is a viable and thriving market for electric vehicles.”
Roughly 7% of Australia’s total energy consumption came from renewable sources as of 2019 and 2020, according to <a href="https://www.energy.gov.au/data/renewables">data</a> from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water. Beyond renewables, oil, coal, and gas respectively account for 37%, 28%, and 27% of energy use. Australian policymakers, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, have <a href="https://anthonyalbanese.com.au/media-centre/driving-the-nation-ev-bowen-king">endorsed</a> higher rates of electric vehicle adoption, with the Labor Party vowing earlier this year to construct a national network of charging stations.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and other White House officials have come under fire for suggesting that renewable energy subsidies will help the middle class contend with higher inflation, particularly with respect to fuel prices.
“If you are low income, you can get your home entirely weatherized through the expansion from the bipartisan infrastructure laws,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/they-dont-know-how-they-sound-critics-roast-energy-secretary-for-telling-poor-people-to-buy-solar-panels">said</a> this weekend on Fox News. “If you are moderate income, today you can get 30% off the price of solar panels. Those solar panels can be financed, so you don’t have to have the big outlay at the front … If you don’t qualify for the weatherization program, you will be able to, starting next year, get rebates on the appliances and equipment that will help you reduce your monthly energy bill by up to 30%. That is all about reducing costs for people.”
Critics noted that a 30% tax credit would leave struggling homeowners liable for 70% of an expense that they are by no means able to afford. A recent analysis <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heres-how-much-inflation-is-costing-you-each-month">found</a> that inflation cost American families an average of $717 in the month of July alone.
Granholm has nevertheless said that the “only way out” of “boom-and-bust cycles” in energy prices is higher renewable energy adoption.
“The real truth is that as long as our nation remains overly reliant on oil and fossil fuels, we will feel these price shocks again,” Granholm <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/energy-secretary-lays-out-the-only-way-to-avoid-high-gas-prices-and-its-not-producing-more-oil?fbclid=IwAR1Cc9CsrYptSBtkmkYmredgSlRdFYFiX554Ytn9VTLPAxFihVOXh2biE5Y">argued</a> earlier this summer. “This is not going to be the last time. The next time there’s a war, the next time there’s a pandemic or another hurricane, these extreme weather events we are experiencing — they will impact the access that we have to fossil fuels.”
The Inflation Reduction Act, which Biden signed last week, offers $7,500 electric vehicle tax credits. The policy, however, went into effect as automakers <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bidens-inflation-bill-made-7500-electric-vehicle-tax-credits-ford-and-gm-just-raised-their-prices-by-the-same-amount">hiked their prices</a> by approximately the same amount.
Virginia Kruta contributed to this report.

Electric Vehicle

Australian Bank To End Loans For New Gas Cars, Pushes Electric Vehicles Instead

Australia

Banks

Climate Change

As the Democrats force Americans to go <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/energy">green</a>, automakers are going even greener. Ford and General Motors unveiled price increases for their <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/electric-cars">electric vehicle</a> lineups as the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/inflation-reduction-act">Inflation Reduction Act</a> — which includes electric vehicle tax credits — is slated to become law.
Citing “significant material cost increases and other factors,” Ford’s <a href="https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/08/09/ford-f-150-lightning-standard-range-increased.html">announcement</a> revealed price hikes between $6,000 and $8,500 for its electric vehicles. The F-150 Lightning Pro, for example, will sell for $46,974 — a $7,000 increase from the $39,947 <a href="https://www.ford.com/trucks/f150/f150-lightning/">charged</a> for last year’s model. GM likewise <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/17/gm-is-raising-the-price-of-its-hummer-ev-starting-this-weekend.html">increased</a> the cost of its electric Hummer by $6,250 last month.
The price hikes are comparable to the $7,500 tax credits for new electric vehicles included in the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which currently awaits President Joe Biden’s signature. The legislation earmarks a total of $369 billion to combat “the existential crisis of climate change,” according to <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/07/statement-by-president-biden-on-senate-passage-of-the-inflation-reduction-act/">remarks</a> from Biden.
“It addresses the climate crisis and strengthens our energy security, creating jobs manufacturing solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicles in America with American workers,” he said. “It lowers families’ energy costs by hundreds of dollars each year.”
The price hikes appear to upend repeated assertions from the White House that electric vehicle tax credits — combined with elevated prices at the pump — will accelerate renewable energy adoption in the United States. “The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicles,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pete-buttigieg-tells-americans-how-they-can-channel-their-pain-at-the-pump">argued</a> before House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee members last month.
The national average price of gasoline was $2.38 per gallon when Biden assumed office, according to the <a href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&amp;s=EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG&amp;f=W">Energy Information Administration</a>, and increased to $3.53 per gallon by the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Prices surpassed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices">$5.00 per gallon</a> in early June before subsiding to $3.96 per gallon as of Monday, according to <a href="https://gasprices.aaa.com/">AAA</a>.
Yet Buttigieg claimed in November that Americans who buy electric vehicles will “never have to worry about gas prices again.”
“The people who stand to benefit most from owning an EV are often rural residents who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas, and underserved urban residents in areas where there are higher gas prices and lower income,” Buttigieg said during an MSNBC interview. “They would gain the most by having that vehicle. These are the very residents who have not always been connected to electric vehicles that are viewed as kind of a luxury item.”
A <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrat-inflation-reduction-act-could-slightly-increase-inflation-over-next-two-years-study-finds">study</a> from economists at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School discovered that the Inflation Reduction Act would “very slightly increase inflation” over the next two years and “decrease inflation thereafter,” with both estimates “statistically indistinguishable from zero, thereby indicating low confidence that the legislation will have any impact on inflation” despite its high price tag.
The Inflation Reduction Act will also provide $80 billion to hire 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service employees. In a letter to IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/janet-yellen-vows-irs-audits-wont-rise-for-middle-income-americans-but-theres-a-catch">vowed</a> that the funding would help the agency “improve taxpayer service” and “increase equity in the tax system” rather than allow the agency to target middle-income Americans.

President Biden Visits GM ZERO Factory In Detroit

Biden’s Inflation Bill Made $7,500 Electric Vehicle Tax Credits. Ford And GM Just Raised Their Prices By The Same Amount.

Ford And GM Raise Their Electric Vehicle Prices By The Same Amount As Biden's New Tax Credit

Biden Administration

Inflation Reduction Act

Most <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/electric-cars">electric cars</a> won&#8217;t qualify for the tax credits established by the tax and spending plan recently passed by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democratic-party">Democrats</a> in the Senate.
According to a report from <a href="https://apnews.com/article/electric-vehicles-tax-credit-cfd3d9322230446f65d629b05c2ae551">The Associated Press</a> Tuesday, most new electric vehicles (EVs) would not qualify for the $7,500 tax credit for new EVs established in the climate spending provisions of the so-called &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/vp-harris-breaks-tie-senate-passes-democrats-inflation-reduction-act-climate-tax-and-spending-bill">Inflation Reduction Act</a>.&#8221; In order to qualify for the credit, new electric cars must have batteries manufactured in North America, with at least 40% of its metals mined or recycled from North America; those rules become much more strict in a few years, making it even harder for new EVs to qualify, experts said.
&#8220;The EV tax credit (aka the Clean Vehicle Credit) in the bill is an effective tool to help reduce the upfront cost of an EV for the millions of Americans in the market for a new car or truck,&#8221; John Bozzella, the president and CEO of automotive industry trade group <a href="https://www.autosinnovate.org/posts/blog/what-if-no-evs-qualify-for-the-ev-tax-credit">Alliance for Automotive Innovation</a> wrote in a blog post Friday, ahead of the Senate vote. &#8220;But… as currently written, the material, component and assembly requirements in the Clean Vehicle Credit will immediately reduce (by a lot) the number of qualifying electric vehicles available to consumers for purchase with the tax credit. Here’s what I mean: there are 72 EV models currently available for purchase in the United States including battery, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles. Seventy percent of those EVs would immediately become ineligible when the bill passes and none would qualify for the full credit when additional sourcing requirements go into effect. Zero.&#8221;
&#8220;The $7500 credit might exist on paper, but no vehicles will qualify for this purchase incentive over the next few years,&#8221; Bozzella added.
Under the &#8220;Inflation Reduction Act,&#8221; in order to qualify for the full $7,500 credit, at least 40% of the component materials used in the battery of an EV must be sourced from North America. By 2027, that threshold increases to 80% of battery materials. If that requirement is not met, the EV would only qualify for half the credit. In addition, a separate rule states that at least 50% of the batteries’ value must be manufactured or assembled in North America; the rule becomes stricter over time, eventually requiring 100% of the battery to be made in North America by 2029.
If the vehicle doesn’t meet these qualifications, the whole tax credit will be lost. Yet another rule requires that the rest of the EV itself must be made in North America in order to qualify for the tax credit. On top of all those requirements, the credit does not apply to electric trucks or SUVs with retail prices above $80,000 or cars above $55,000; the credit is also only available to individuals who make less than $150,000 per year or families who make less than $300,000 per year.
Another provision in the bill prohibits any vehicle from qualifying for the credit if it has battery materials sourced from China by the year 2024.
In his blog post, Bozzella recommended a gradual process of implementing the assembly restrictions to &#8220;better reflect current geopolitical, sourcing and mineral extraction realities,&#8221; in order to keep the credit viable while building up the critical mineral supply chain, including broadening the list of countries to source critical minerals from.

Ford EV

Most Electric Vehicles Won’t Qualify For ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ Tax Credits, None Will Qualify In A Few Years

Most Electric Vehicles Won't Qualify For 'Inflation Reduction Act' Tax Credits, None Will Qualify In A Few Years

Associated Press

Inflation

Taxes

<hr />
Transportation Secretary <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/pete-buttigieg">Pete Buttigieg</a> told Congress Tuesday that Americans could reduce the burden of high <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices">gas prices</a> by buying <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/electric-cars">electric vehicles</a>.
The comments before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee occurred as members of the Biden administration <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-takes-victory-lap-as-gas-prices-inch-downward-still-nearly-twice-as-high-since-his-first-day">took a victory lap</a> over a marginal decline in gas prices. Not mentioning the fact that prices at the pump are now 89% higher than at the beginning of his term, Biden argued on Tuesday that his “actions are working” and “prices are coming down.”
Meanwhile, Buttigieg told lawmakers high fuel prices will lead more Americans to rely on alternatives.
&#8220;The more pain we are all experiencing from the high price of gas, the more benefit there is for those who can access electric vehicle,&#8221; Buttigieg said, according to <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/pete-buttigieg-blasted-touting-benefit-electric-vehicle-owners-pain-high-gas-prices">Fox Business</a>.
&#8220;So you’re saying the more pain we have, the more benefit we’re gonna get?&#8221; Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) responded. &#8220;I think that’s what I heard you say.&#8221;
&#8220;Of course — no, no, that’s what you heard me say,” Buttigieg replied. “I know you want me to say it’s so bad but honestly, sir, what we’re saying is we could have no pain at all by making EVs cheaper for everyone.&#8221;
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) told Buttigieg that charging electric vehicles would require several times more energy than running the typical household’s air conditioning — a reality that complicates the Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/13/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-electric-vehicle-charging-action-plan/#:~:text=President%20Biden%20has%20united%20automakers,in%20the%20U.S.%20by%202030.">goal</a> of 50% electric vehicle adoption by 2030. Nevertheless, Buttigieg and his colleagues have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/buttigieg-electric-cars-will-make-it-so-americans-never-have-to-worry-about-gas-prices-again">argued</a> repeatedly that higher use of clean energy is a silver lining to rising energy prices.
“The people who stand to benefit most from owning an EV are often rural residents who have the most distances to drive, who burn the most gas, and underserved urban residents in areas where there are higher gas prices and lower income,” Buttigieg said last year. “They would gain the most by having that vehicle. These are the very residents who have not always been connected to electric vehicles that are viewed as kind of a luxury item.”
During the week of President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the national average price of gasoline was $2.38 per gallon, according to the U.S. <a href="https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&amp;s=EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG&amp;f=W">Energy Information Administration</a>, and increased to $3.53 per gallon by the week when Russia invaded Ukraine. Prices surpassed <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gas-prices">$5.00 per gallon</a> in early June before subsiding to $4.49 per gallon as of this week.
Yet the White House — which <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/peter-doocy-asks-for-a-straight-answer-on-keystone-gets-the-runaround-from-jen-psaki">nixed</a> expansions to the Keystone XL Pipeline last year and has been accused of dragging its feet on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unacceptable-cruz-gop-senators-demand-end-to-oil-and-gas-lease-permit-delays">issuing</a> oil and gas permits — has asserted that “Putin’s Price Hike” is responsible for rising inflation in recent months.
“Putin’s Price Hike hit hard… high gas prices at the pump, energy, and food prices accounted for around half of the monthly price increases, and gas pump prices are up by $2 a gallon in many places since Russian troops began to threaten Ukraine,” Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/president-biden-blames-vladimir-putin-for-record-high-inflation">said</a> in a statement last month. “Even as we continue our work to defend freedom in Ukraine, we must do more — and quickly — to get prices down here in the United States.”

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg Tells Americans How They Can Channel Their ‘Pain’ At The Pump

Buttigieg Repeats Argument That Americans Should Buy Electric Cars If They Struggle Filling The Tank

Since July 10, at least 360 people have been killed in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/spain">Spain</a> due to a massive heatwave and thousands of individuals have been forced to flee southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/france">France</a> due to a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fire">wildfire</a> allegedly sparked by a vehicle having mechanical issues.
The Carlos III Health Institute <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/wildfires-rage-france-spain-heatwaves-sweep-europe-2022-07-16/">reported</a> Friday that hundreds have died in Spain as temperatures have skyrocketed to 45 degrees Celsius – or 114 degrees Fahrenheit – in the region. The heatwave has also contributed to massive wildfires in several countries that have scorched thousands of acres of land. In southwest France alone, 12,000 people have been forced to flee to escape multiple blazes.
France&#8217;s Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne <a href="https://www.aa.com.tr/en/environment/fires-in-southwest-france-burn-over-10-000-hectares-of-forests/2638389">blamed</a> the fire in the La-Teste-de-Buch region on an electric vehicle that had some sort of issue near a wooden glen. The second ongoing wildfire in France is also being investigated for criminal activity.
&#8220;80% of the forest fires are estimated to have been started by humans,&#8221; she told France&#8217;s BFMTV News.
The mayor of La Teste, Patrick Davet, the village where the La-Teste-de-Buch fire reportedly started, pushed back on Borne&#8217;s claims, however.
&#8220;What Elisabeth Borne says is totally false,&#8221; he <a href="https://www-sudouest-fr.translate.goog/gironde/incendie-a-la-teste-contrairement-a-ce-que-dit-elisabeth-borne-le-feu-n-est-pas-parti-d-une-voiture-electrique-11671878.php?_x_tr_sl=fr&amp;_x_tr_tl=en&amp;_x_tr_hl=en&amp;_x_tr_pto=sc">told</a> the French outlet Sudouest, according to an online translation. &#8220;The fire started from a van that had broken down and had an electrical problem. Its driver tried to alert the emergency services but the breakdown occurred in an area without a telephone network. He had to walk away to call the fire department. But it was too late.&#8221;
One tourist visiting France told the local press that he and his son were unable to take their belongings as they rushed to avoid the wildfire.
&#8220;We started packing our things but the lady told us, &#8216;No, you have to leave everything as it is,'&#8221; the tourist identified as Matthias <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62175758">told</a> BFMTV. &#8220;You try to keep calm but it&#8217;s hard not to be scared because it happens so fast.&#8221;
The head of France&#8217;s firefighter federation said they are calling for hundreds of thousands of volunteers to help fight the blaze.
&#8220;The situation is highly complex,&#8221; Gregory Allione <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62175758">told</a> France&#8217;s RMC TV. &#8220;Our morale is still good but fatigue sets in fast. That&#8217;s why we&#8217;re calling for a target of 250,000 volunteer firefighters.&#8221;
Allione also blamed the fires on global warming, claiming that frontline workers see its impacts every day.
&#8220;It&#8217;s firefighters, civil security who deal with the effects on a daily basis &#8211; and these effects aren&#8217;t in 2030, they&#8217;re right now,&#8221; Allione told the press.
There are also reportedly at least 20 separate wildfires currently blazing in Spain.

Wildfire France

European Heatwave Kills Hundreds, Electric Vehicle Reportedly Sparks Wildfire That Has Displaced Thousands In France

Heatwave Across Europe Kills At Least 360 In Spain, Wildfires Displace Thousands in France

Fire

France

Spain

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