Carter Votes for Cares Act Even as Hyundai Speeds Construction of Georgia EV Plant

WASHINGTON — It was a matter of preserving consumers’ choice in the face of federal mandates.

That’s how Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., explained his vote last week in favor of the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act, even as the Hyundai Motor Group is rushing to complete construction of a $7.6 billion electric vehicle and battery plant in his district.

House Republicans say the bill, which passed the House 221-197 on Wednesday, is a reaction to what they’ve described as a “de facto” EV mandate from the Biden administration.

The vote was largely along party lines, with 216 Republicans and five Democrats voting in favor of the bill and 197 Democrats voting no. Fifteen members did not cast a vote.

In April, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed more stringent emission standards that apply to cars and light-duty trucks from the model year 2027 through 2032.

The standards would become more stringent each year, which would result in a 56% reduction in fleet average greenhouse gas emissions for light-duty vehicles and a 44% reduction for medium-duty vehicles by the end of that period, the agency said.

The bill, passed by the House, was introduced by Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., in July.

It would bar the EPA from finalizing and implementing the new emission standards, which the White House had said would “accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future and tackle the climate crisis.”

“The Biden administration cannot continue to create regulations that limit consumer choice, hamper mobility, make vehicles more expensive for families and cede America’s auto leadership and jobs to China,” Walberg said at the time.

In addition to blocking the EPA from implementing the new standards, the proposed legislation would also prohibit the EPA from proposing or implementing any standards that “limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on that vehicle’s engine type.”

It would also require the agency to update any regulations that already do so.

The bill now heads to the Democrat-controlled Senate where it is expected to die. If it does somehow pass, President Biden has already said he would veto it.

In voting for the bill, Carter and others who supported it were largely voting on principle. At the same time, for Carter, it could be interpreted as a vote against the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history.

Since breaking ground on the project west of Savannah, Georgia, last year, the South Korean automaker has said that more than 2,000 people have been working each week to make it operational as quickly as possible.

The plant — Hyundai’s first U.S. factory dedicated to the production of electric vehicles, is being built on 2,900 acres adjacent to Interstate 16, and when it opens, it will be capable of building 300,000 electric vehicles each year.

The facility will also manufacture batteries to power those vehicles in a partnership between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution.

When fully operational, Hyundai says the plant will employ 8,500 workers and state economic development officials have said suppliers located near the plant could create another 6,000 jobs.

It came with a whopping incentive package, with state officials and local governments offering $2.1 billion in tax breaks.

Hyundai has told state officials its direct payroll will likely be in the vicinity of $4.7 billion over the next 10 years, with workers being paid a yearly average of $58,105, plus benefits.

In his weekly email to constituents, Carter calls electric vehicles “a great new technology” and acknowledges that his district — Georgia’s 1st Congressional District — will “soon” be home to Hyundai’s “newest EV battery plant.”

He also proudly touts Georgia as “a nationwide leader in many of the green technologies that are coming online today.”

Carter explains his vote, like those of his like-minded colleagues, was a vote to “block yet another overreaching mandate” from the Biden administration — “aggressive new standards that would mandate that all new vehicles be electric by 2032.”

“While this emerging industry is promising, there are reasons why gas-powered vehicles still dominate the market. EVs are expensive,” Carter writes in the email.

“They also have 80% more problems than gas-powered cars, and there are not enough charging stations to force a transition to EVs. In fact, the Biden administration allocated billions to construct new EV chargers, but two years later exactly zero have been built,” the representative says.

“On top of the affordability, reliability and logistical issues that make EVs an unworkable option for many people, this move by the EPA is playing right into China’s hands,” Carter says.

“China controls most of the critical minerals mining, processing and manufacturing for EVs. China has 78% of the world’s cell manufacturing capacity for EV batteries,” he continues.

“To further its grip on EV technology against America, China implemented export controls on graphite, the single largest mineral component of any EV battery. There is currently only one producing graphite mine in North America.

“EPA’s proposed EV mandates will further strengthen China’s foothold in the American auto industry and could lead to vehicles from China being one of the only affordable options left for Americans by 2035,” Carter asserts.

“What this administration fails to understand, time and time again, is that these new technologies are driven by innovation, not federal intervention,” he added.

“My choice of vehicle is a 2005 Toyota Tundra, but I’ll be the first to say that what is best for me is not best for everyone. I had a choice, and you should too.”

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