With California granted authority to establish its own zero-emission standards, an Ohio trucker warns that this decision could prove “catastrophic” for both the industry and the broader U.S. supply chain.
“There is nothing about this law that makes any sense,” Monte Wiederhold told “Fox & Friends First” on Friday after ripping the state’s far-left policies.
On Tuesday, a federal appellate court affirmed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) decision to grant California a waiver, enabling the state to implement its own zero-emission standards for tailpipes and electric vehicle requirements, Fox Business reported.
If adopted by other states, the action will no doubt disrupt the trucking industry significantly and lead to another disruption in the supply chain.
“So, if this mandate comes in, if they go forward with this nonsense, we’re going to be the supply chain crisis on steroids,” Wiederhold explained.
He added that 96 percent of the trucking industry comprises “small fleets like mom and pop, one- and two-truck operators.”
“I have a four-truck fleet myself,” he told co-host Todd Piro.
“Obviously, this thing is going to cost untold millions, billions of dollars that we have no way that we’re going to pay for,” he added, noting further that the U.S. is years — perhaps decades — away from having the power infrastructure to handle tens of millions of electric vehicles.
“I mean, if these folks were watching this past winter when the people in Chicago with their Teslas that they couldn’t get to the chargers, or they were froze up. Multiply that times about 10 because right now we currently have nowhere to park our trucks along the highway just to, you know, rest areas and truck stops, to even sleep,” he explained.
At the forefront of green initiatives in the U.S., California has committed to reducing fossil fuel demand by 86 percent by 2045. Additionally, the state has announced plans to prohibit the sale of new gasoline-powered cars beginning in 2035.
He told the network that the push would “significantly alter” every American’s way of life.
“We’re going to be in some Third World country-type status, where you’re going to go to the store or stand in line, and the shelves are empty because that’s what’s going to happen,” he said.
