As long as two legislation are brought up in the House of Representatives, combustion engine automobiles will still be sold in Louisiana.
Both were postponed until next week when the Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee of the chamber decides which one to tackle first.
Rep. Dodie Horton (R-Haughton) of Haughton created House Bill 515. A state agency could not restrict or outright ban the sale or usage of new automobiles powered by internal combustion engines under this bill.
A resident of Louisiana would be able to buy any automobile they choose, regardless of air pollution issues, according to the measure.
Horton informed the committee that she would prefer to back House Bill 341 introduced by Republican state representative Phillip Tarver of Lake Charles, who happens to operate a Toyota dealership, due to the fact that “he’s a subject matter expert.”
Massive Drug Bust After Police Tracked Overdose Victim Involvement In Louisiana
When compared to Horton’s bill, Tarver’s is almost word-for-word similar. A possible vote on both motions is imminent on the House floor.
Two other bills were adopted by the committee: one would lift the 10-year limit on airport leases in Louisiana, and the other would let property owners to levy unpaid parking fines to vehicles they boot.
Legislation in Louisiana aims to block a state-wide ban on internal combustion vehicles. This comes at a time when the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a proposed rule in July that would raise the CAFE standard for cars and light trucks to 58 miles per gallon by 2032 and force manufacturers to sell more hybrids, electrics, and battery-electric vehicles to fulfill the new requirements. From the 49 mpg norm that will be completely implemented in 2026, that’s an increase of 18.4 percent.
It is necessary for non-compliant automakers to purchase credits from complying ones, like Tesla, in order to compensate for the difference. As an example, so-called regulatory credits were $1.79 billion in 2023, a 21% increase from the previous year, as shown in Tesla’s most recent annual financial statement.
A U.S. Department of Energy report covering the years 2022 (the most recent data available) indicates that over 115,000 automobiles in Louisiana run on diesel, while over 3.1 million use gas. At that time, a total of 40,200 vehicles were electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or hybrid-electric.