Oil and corn lobby united against Biden's plan to create electric cars

Oil and corn lobby united against Biden's plan to create electric cars
Photo by Zbynek Burival / Unsplash

Lawmakers supporting the oil and bioethanol industry have joined forces to oppose the Biden administration's plan to create electric cars.

Lawmakers say the plan would make the United States dangerously dependent on China, as well as jeopardize its climate change goals.

The White House's push to electrify America's transportation system has brought together two rivals for congressional favor: the oil lobby and the corn lobby.

Bloomberg reports that lawmakers who support the oil industry and bioethanol production have joined forces to oppose the Biden administration's electric car plan, focusing on a plan to electrify the federal fleet.

The lawmakers - 50 of them, all Republicans - said the plan would put the United States dangerously dependent on China, as well as jeopardize its climate change goals, the letter said.

The authors point to the fact that China is the source of nearly all of the world's supply of rare earth metals, which are used in batteries and electronics for electric vehicles, saying that Biden's executive order on electric vehicles "creates dependence on foreign adversaries."

They also presented biofuels as a faster and easier way to reduce the federal fleet's carbon emissions, stating, "Instead of signing expensive orders, you can achieve a small reduction in carbon emissions within 15 years and support our greatest foreign adversary -- China -- you should look to the liquid fuel sector for real solutions."

The oil industry and the biofuels industry are natural "enemies" because of their opposing interests. Each has lobbied against the other in Congress - that is, until now. With the new threat of electric cars, these opposing interests seem to have been, at least temporarily, forgotten.

In December, President Biden signed an executive order aimed at making the United States federal government carbon-neutral by 2050, providing for a 65 percent reduction in emissions by 2030. electric cars and improve the energy efficiency of its 300,000 buildings. The order also calls for adding more