Salvaging Virginia Roadkill & EV Mandate Madness
Here's the latest dispatch.
Good evening,
For you newbies out there, welcome to Outsider on the Inside. I hope this dispatch from in and around the nation’s capital on underreported topics finds you well.
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Quick Thoughts
Support and follow the work of IWF’s Center for Energy and Conservation today if you haven’t already.
I’m digging country superstar Kenny Chesney’s new album BORN to get me in the beach and summer spirit.
The Commonwealth of Virginia has been ravaged by brush fires this week—including a large blaze near Shenandoah National Park. Thank you to all the firefighters working overtime to stop the spread of these high-intensity wildfires.
Daily Wire has parted ways with controversial commentator Candace Owens, whose recent anti-Israel statements were increasingly at odds with the top brass there.
After her ouster from the RNC, ex-chair Ronna McDaniel has landed a new political analyst gig at NBC.
Martin Greenfield, tailor to famous people and Holocaust survivor, passed away this week at the age of 95. His memoir, Measure of a Man, is one of my favorite books. May his memory be a blessing.
Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) hosted a masterclass in schooling climate activists about carbon dioxide.
That’s it for the week. Stay tuned for next Friday’s update!
Governor Youngkin Signs Reformed Roadkill Claim Law
Amidst reviewing 1,000 bills from this General Assembly session, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) signed House Bill 1025 into law on March 14th, 2024. The bill was sponsored by Delegate Tony Wilt (R) and goes into effect on July 1st. Here’s the text:
Claiming a deer, bear, turkey, or elk struck by motor vehicle. Allows any deer, bear, turkey, or elk that appears to have been killed in a collision with a motor vehicle to be claimed by and awarded to any person. Current law allows a deer or bear to only be claimed by and awarded to the driver of a motor vehicle who collides with such animal.
How will roadkill claims be tracked and accounted for? I gather there will be a hotline number under Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) to report location, date, and species taken once the law becomes official. I’m not sure how antlers on deer or elk will be accounted for. Will there be a permit required to salvage roadkill going forward? The final Code of Virginia language will demystify these unanswered questions.
Those who claim roadkill, however, cannot sell the meat under any circumstances. For personal use only. It’s against the Lacey Act of 1990 to sell wild game meat, regardless if you hunt it or claim it.
Is Virginia the odd-ball out? Hardly. Most states allow residents to claim roadkill but with certain stipulations varying state-to-state. Some states require road salvage permits; others don’t. Check your DNR website before embarking on an adventure for wildlife roadkill.
If consuming roadkill freaks you out, fear not: it’s perfectly okay to eat it. Alan Bergo, a James Beard award-winning chef, wrote on his website:
Contrary to the jokes and stigma culture would have us believe, eating roadkill is completely safe with a basic knowledge of food safety, and can be a useful way to get valuable, wild harvested meat of higher quality than you can get at the store.
…
Simply put, roadkill (the more P.C. term is car-kill) and all other, alternative forms of meat procurement are just different ways to fill your freezer, and it's a known (but seldom discussed) interest sub-niche in the hunting and foraging world.
To me, it's just another way to waste less, get free food, and exercise a different part of my skillset, another merit-badge on the never-ending foraging sash, so to speak. Good food, is good food, no matter how it was harvested.
Happy hunting and happy eating, fellow Virginians. I’ll be sure to partake in these festivities since I sipped tag soup last hunting season.
EV Mandate Madness
Move over, March Madness.
Enter EV Madness.
Despite EV euphoria being declared dead, the Biden administration can’t take a hint. Instead of pivoting away from an EV mandate, it unveiled its (slightly) watered down EPA tailpipe emissions rule. Here’s my statement and our accompanying press release at IWF Center for Energy and Conservation:
“The final EPA tailpipe emissions rule still aggressively mandates that 67% of new vehicles sold by 2032 must be electric. Although the agency relaxed some electric vehicle (EV) targets until 2030, it’s still committed to forcing EV adoption in the name of going net-zero.”
“Consumers aren’t warming up to EVs and remain skeptical about making the switch.These so-called “clean-cars” are more expensive than gas-powered cars, require multiple charging stops, are built using slave or child labor, and might actually be worse for the environment. With EV excitement waning, the Biden administration must pump the brakes here and pull back its misguided mandate,” Gabby added.
The original April 2023 rule proposed to limit the amount of greenhouse gas emissions new cars could produce starting with models made in 2027. Supposedly the purpose was to “accelerate the ongoing transition to a clean vehicles future and tackle the climate crisis.” The EPA claimed the rule would result in a 56% reduction in new vehicle emissions between 2027-2032. To comply with the proposal, car makers were told they must aim for a 60% EV fleet by 2030 and 67% EV fleet by 2032, respectively.
However, current trends suggest that Americans aren’t embracing electric vehicles at a pace to meet these goals. Car dealers have equally warned about EVs going unsold. Even car manufacturers are scaling down EV production, pivoting to hybrid cars or back to gas-powered models. This prompted CNBC last week to declare EV euphoria is dead. These heavy-handed regulations aren’t going to reverse this trend, but rather will harm the auto industry and leave consumers with fewer and more expensive options.
Despite the EPA unveiling its EV mandate, Maine decided to go in the opposite direction and reject tethering themselves to California Air Resource Board (CARB)’s Zero-Emissions Vehicle Rule. Ouch!
I expect the EV mandate will be paused/blocked by the federal courts since EPA’s power to create rules will be challenged on West Virginia vs EPA grounds and if the Chevron Doctrine is challenged by SCOTUS this term.
The consumers have spoken: EVs aren’t hot.
ICYMI
Articles/commentary/media appearances from the past week.
MEDIA MENTIONS
I was interviewed on several podcasts recently: I returned to Duck Season Somewhere with host Ramsey Russell and joined The No Gimmicks Podcast hosted by Brady Leonard.
And I spoke to Fox Business again—this time about Al Gore’s son, Albert Gore III — being dispatched to push EV adoption for the White House.
ARTICLES/BLOGS
Scenes from the Week
My friend Madison Hughes’ song, HATE THAT YOU LOVE ME, was played on Fox News Channel’s The Five program today with an assist from the inimitable Katie Pavlich.
Thank you for reading! Let me know your thoughts and encourage your friends to subscribe to the newsletter too.
—Gabriella