PHOTO RELEASE: Ricketts Exposes Reality of Electric Vehicles for American Consumers & Industry
August 29, 2023
OMAHA, NE – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE), the Ranking Member of the Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Safety, hosted policy experts and stakeholders to share more about the harmful impacts of the Biden administration’s emissions mandates that would require two-thirds of new cars and trucks be electric in just eight years.
“The Biden administration has failed to do their homework on the reckless impact of these emission mandates that would require two-thirds of new cars and trucks sold be electric in just eight years,” Ricketts said. “I was grateful to the policy experts and stakeholders who shared their expertise and shined a light on how these emissions stifle private sector innovation and in many instances are counterproductive to the goal of a cleaner environment and more sustainable energy. Policies like this tell states like mine Washington bureaucrats don’t care about our way of life.”
The event, held at Metro Community College’s Center for Advanced and Emerging Technology in Omaha, included a truck showcase displaying some of the latest private sector innovation and a roundtable with policy experts and stakeholders.
Ricketts condemned the Biden administration’s emission mandates when they were first announced earlier this year. Ricketts is working with Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) to introduce Congressional Review Act legislation that would overturn the mandate. Ricketts also introduced the bipartisan Flex Fuel Fairness Act with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to provide a meaningful incentive for automakers to manufacture flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) in addition to battery electric vehicles (EVs).
The truck showcase featured heavy-duty trucks from several members of the Nebraska Trucking Association including:
- A 2024 Mack Anthem 64T that has an exhaust system that captures particulate matter and NOx emissions, making it among the near-zero emission trucks that meet or exceed the current standards;
- A compressed natural gas truck operated by Werner that runs on renewable natural gas (RNG), which can be up to seven times cleaner toward carbon emissions than diesel and comes from a variety of sources, including municipal landfills, water purification facilities and livestock farms, among many other sources;
- A 2024 Peterbilt 579 Tandem Axle Sleeper designed to improve fuel economy with features that maximize aerodynamic performance; and
- A FuelAdaptive™ engine from ClearFlame Engine Technologies powered by ethanol to match the performance of traditional diesel while cutting fuel costs and carbon emissions by more than 40% when compared to diesel, and it has 61% less lifecycle carbon emissions than EVs attached to the national grid.
Participants in the roundtable included stakeholders from the Nebraska Trucking Association, Nebraska New Truck andAuto Dealers, the American Trucking Association, Werner Trucking, Hill Brothers Trucking, Great Omaha Express, Sapp Bros, Harms Oil Company the Nebraska Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Association, and the Clean Freight Coalition. Policy experts from the American Transportation Research Institute and Breakthrough Institute also participated in the event.
