DES MOINES, IOWA (February 5, 2025) — Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has announced a victory defeating the Biden-Harris Administration’s illegal highway-emissions mandate that attempted to drive gas-powered vehicles off the road.
In 2023, the Iowa Attorney General’s office sued the Federal Highway Administration (“FHWA”) over a mandate that required states to set strict emissions restrictions for vehicles traveling on national highways. The burdensome mandates were part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s radical agenda to reach “net zero” emissions by 2050. The states were also required to release carbon emissions reports every two years.
“President Trump promised to end the Biden-Harris war on gas-powered vehicles, and he is already delivering,” said AG Bird. “This victory protects families and farmers who depend on their vehicles to get to work or school each day. I was glad to fight alongside a strong coalition of states and Pres Trump to defeat this radical mandate and stop unelected Washington bureaucrats from telling Iowans which cars they can drive.”
In April 2024, a federal district court ruled the mandate was unconstitutional federal overreach and a burden to the states.
The Biden-Harris Administration appealed the decision to a federal appeals court. After taking office, Pres Trump withdrew Biden’s position, and FHWA dropped its case.
This victory ends a Kentucky-led lawsuit Iowa joined, along with Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.
Read President Trump’s motion to dismiss the appeal here.
