In the coming days, the U.S. Senate will vote on whether to overturn a reckless decision by the EPA that grants California the power to ban the sale of new gas-powered cars and trucks. While I trust Senators Moreno and Husted will stand up for Ohio workers and families, not every lawmaker fully understands what’s at stake—or why states like ours deserve a say in California’s misguided agenda.
Here’s why it matters: California’s actions don’t just impact its own citizens. California and states allowed to follow its car ban represent 35% of the US auto market, so the ripple effects reach every corner of the country. Ohioans are already fighting back—our legislature passed a bill to block California-style bans here—but if federal regulators allow one state to dictate national policy, the damage will be felt far beyond its borders.
Nowhere will that pain be more acute than in Ohio.
We are the industrial engine of America. From auto plants in Toledo to fuel refineries across the state, our economy is built on manufacturing the vehicles and fuels that keep this country moving. These aren’t faceless operations—they are where our friends, family, and neighbors earn their living. California’s ban isn’t just a threat to environmental policy—it’s a direct attack on American jobs, including thousands right here in Ohio.
And let’s be clear: the cars we build and the fuel we refine don’t stop at our borders. We support the national supply chain. So when California and its minion states decide to outlaw gas-powered vehicles, they’re not just banning what they don’t want—they’re banning what we produce, what consumers still overwhelmingly choose, and what the majority of Americans still need.
That means fewer buyers for our products. Fewer orders for our factories. Fewer paychecks for our workers.
It also means higher prices for families. If the supply of internal combustion vehicles dries up while demand stays high—and it will—then the price of a gas car will skyrocket. Consumers in Ohio may still be allowed to buy them, but many won’t be able to afford them. A state 2,000 miles away shouldn’t get to make that decision for us.
California’s leadership loves to lecture the rest of the country, but rarely lives with the consequences. They ban gas cars and push EV mandates while ignoring where the materials come from—often through human rights abuses in foreign mines dominated by China. They tax gas into oblivion while failing to maintain a reliable electrical grid. They promise savings and progress but deliver only higher costs, energy instability, and elite virtue-signaling.
In Ohio, we don’t want their lifestyle, we don’t want their values, and we certainly don’t want their cost of living. What we do want is to keep building, refining, and driving vehicles that meet the needs of working Americans.
That’s why nearly 80% of Ohioans oppose California’s influence over our vehicle market. That’s why the U.S. House—with bipartisan support, including Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur—voted to stop this madness. And that’s why the Senate must now follow suit.
This isn’t just about cars. It’s about sovereignty. It’s about standing up for our workers, our families, and our economy. The Senate must vote to end California’s overreach—because no state, no matter how big or self-important, should be able to dictate how the rest of us live.
Josh Williams (R) is State Representative, Ohio House of Representatives, District 44.
This article was originally published by RealClearEnergy and made available via RealClearWire.
