WASHINGTON, Sept 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of

Representatives voted narrowly on Friday to repeal clean-vehicle

rules adopted in March to cut tailpipe emissions by 50% from

2026 levels by 2032.

House Republicans said the Environmental Protection Agency's

final regulation for light-duty and medium vehicles is so

stringent it leaves automakers no choice but to ramp up

electric-vehicle production and would effectively push

gas-powered vehicles out of the U.S. marketplace. The White

House said President Joe Biden would veto the measure if it is

approved by the U.S. Senate.

The House voted 215 to 191 with eight Democrats joining 207

Republicans in support.

Republican John James called the rules "catastrophic" for

the auto industry. "Nobody here is against battery electric

vehicles but we are against telling the American people what

they can do with their money," he said.

If successful, the measure would repeal the EPA rules and

bar it from imposing future regulations.

Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy

and Commerce Committee, said Republicans want to "roll back

common-sense air-pollution protections."

"It puts the profits of corporate polluters over the health

and safety of the American people."

Pallone said transportation accounts for nearly one-third of

total climate emissions and the EPA rules.

The final rules adopted in March by the EPA slashed the

agency's target for U.S. EV adoption from 67% by 2032 to as

little as 35% after backlash from the industry and auto workers

and won support from Ford Motor ( F ) and environmental groups.

The EPA said the rules cut emissions by 49% by 2032 from

2026 levels and will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 7.2

billion metric tons through 2055.

Republican Donald Trump has vowed to repeal the rules if

elected as president. The final regulation also faces a court

challenge from many Republican states and oil industry groups.

Vice President Kamala Harris's Democratic presidential

campaign has said she does not support an EV mandate but notes

the Biden administration championed legislation to boost tax

credits and incentives for EV and battery production.