The House passed a bill banning states from implementing laws that would ban or limit the sale of gas-powered vehicles, marking Republicans latest efforts to stymie Democrats' environmental agenda.

Lawmakers voted 222-190 to pass the Preserving Choice in Vehicle Purchases Act, which would amend federal law to block state attempts to eliminate the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines as well as prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing waivers that ban such sales. The bill passed largely along party lines, with Republicans pushing to impede Democratic efforts to replace gas-powered cars with electric vehicles to cut down on emissions.

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The legislation comes in response to a decision by the California Air Resource Board to ban the sale of new, internal-combustion engine-powered vehicles by 2035 and requiring all new vehicles to be zero-emission. Republicans decried the move, accusing Democrats of pushing for the country to adopt an electric-vehicle landscape which GOP lawmakers argue is "unaffordable and impractical."

Republicans also argued a national policy mirroring the new California law would significantly reduce consumer choice and force new car buyers into purchasing more expensive vehicles.

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"These bans will substantially increase costs and put personal vehicles out of reach for many hard-working people," Rep. Tom Cole, (R-OK), chair of the House Rules Committee said earlier this week. "Americans can make consumer choices based on their merits and needs, not on radical mandates rooted in trying to force Green New Deal directives on families.

Despite its passage in the House, the bill faces tough prospects in the Democratic-led Senate. Even if the legislation did manage to pass the upper chamber, President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the proposal should it reach his desk.