Biden faces criticism over his gas car ban. But he doesn’t have one
A trade group, whose membership includes ExxonMobil and Chevron, is pushing a false narrative in response to EPA goals to rein in climate pollution and encourage the adoption of electric vehicles.
Georgia Public Radio / NPR
Voters in Midwestern states are seeing ads railing against President Biden’s gas car ban. But there’s one catch: the Biden administration hasn’t prohibited gas-powered vehicles. That’s not stopping fossil fuel industry groups and former President Donald Trump from targeting swing state voters with warnings of car bans.
The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, a trade group with major fossil fuel members, announced multimillion ad buys this year spotlighting state and federal policies for new car production. The ads urge viewers in the key presidential and Senate swing states of Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Montana, Ohio and Texas to oppose Biden-era rules that improve fuel economy. AFPM’s ads claim, without evidence, that the rules ban gas vehicles.
“We're not coming in in support of a candidate or an opposition of a candidate,” said Chet Thompson, AFPM President. “This is about informing people that this is happening and where they can go to get more information and to weigh in.”
Some states have adopted even more ambitious fuel economy goals than the Biden administration. But the AFPM ad buys are not taking place in those states. Instead, the AFPM ads aim to sway voters in states key to winning the White House and Congress in this year’s election.
Thompson said his group’s goal is to get lobbyists and policymakers to pay attention.
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