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A lobbying group representing the oil and gas industry launched a seven-figure ad campaign in Georgia and eight other states Wednesday targeting a proposal to tighten regulations on fossil-fuel emissions from passenger vehicles.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new rules on auto emissions last month in a bid to steer the auto industry and its customers toward buying more electric vehicles.
Georgia has made a major commitment to EVs, including Hyundai’s $5.5 billion investment in a huge EV manufacturing plant west of Savannah now under construction and a $5 billion planned EV factory near Covington that automaker Rivian has put on hold.
The American Fuel & Petrochemicals Manufacturers is fighting back with ads that will run in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Nevada, Ohio, Maine, and Montana urging Americans to contact their U.S. senators to support at least two measures to block the new EPA rules.
“The United States Senate has the power to stop President Biden’s unlawful policy banning most new gas cars, but it’s going to take both Democrats and Republicans to deliver on that and protect consumer freedoms,” the ad’s narrator states.
“With critical Senate votes on the horizon, it’s imperative that Americans are informed about the president’s gas car ban agenda and have the opportunity to contact their senators to make a difference.”
Six of the nine states where the ads will run – including Georgia – are considered battleground states for this year’s presidential election. Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump vowed on the campaign trail this week to revoke the EPA rule if he is elected.
The new rule is aimed at making sure that within eight years, most passenger vehicles…
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