The House Energy and Commerce Committee has announced its support for the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to repeal regulations that effectively mandated electric vehicles, according to a press release.
According to the official July 29, 2025, press release from the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee, Chairman Brett Guthrie endorsed the EPA’s proposal to reverse vehicle emissions regulations first issued under the Obama-Biden administration and continued under the Biden-Harris administration. Guthrie said that these regulations effectively "weaponized" environmental policy by forcing automakers to comply with rigid electric vehicle (EV) targets, limiting consumer choice and increasing vehicle costs. The Committee’s statement frames the rollback as part of a broader effort to reassert Congressional authority over federal regulatory agencies.
As reported by the Committee’s press release, the regulations in question were based on the EPA’s 2009 "endangerment finding," which determined that greenhouse gases posed a threat to public health and therefore fell under the agency’s regulatory authority. This finding served as the legal basis for emissions standards that required auto manufacturers to sharply increase fuel efficiency and emissions performance—effectively favoring EVs. The Committee said that the EPA’s current proposal is consistent with recent Supreme Court rulings that curtail the power of executive agencies to enact sweeping policies without clear Congressional authorization.
In the same press release, Guthrie emphasized that the United States has achieved significant emissions reductions over the past two decades through innovation and private-sector investment rather than top-down mandates. He noted that the Committee had led efforts to pass three Congressional Review Act resolutions aimed at invalidating California’s ability to impose its own vehicle emissions rules nationwide. Guthrie described the EPA’s proposed rollback as a "victory for American families" who want the freedom to choose affordable, reliable vehicles without federal intervention.
According to information from their official website, the U.S. House Energy & Commerce Committee was established in 1795 and is the oldest standing committee in the House of Representatives. It has jurisdiction over a broad portfolio of issues, including energy policy, environmental regulation, public health, telecommunications, and consumer protection. The committee is responsible for drafting legislation, conducting investigations, and overseeing federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.
