The Biden administration is expected to finalize long-awaited regulations this week targeting tailpipe emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles, seen as the brunt of efforts to electrify the transportation sector.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to announce the final rule as early as Wednesday, industry sources told FOX, and officials have boasted that it will encourage greater adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). (However, opponents criticize it as a de facto obligation) News Digital. The regulation is a key part of President Biden’s climate plan and will ultimately force automakers to more quickly expand electric options on their vehicles in the coming years.
Jason Isaac, president and CEO of the American Energy Association, which tracks the EV market, said in an interview on FOX News Digital that “no electric vehicle has done anything to improve human health.” “Certainly not, and it won’t do anything to reduce pollution.” “We have already proven in this country that we are a world leader in clean air, and we will continue to push the costs of electric vehicles onto buyers of internal combustion engine vehicles.”
“This is being done purely for campaign reasons, to really appease the climate-concerned left-wing big donor base that is driving this movement towards a forced energy transition. It just increases the cost of everything,” Isaac added.
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Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan is pictured next to President Biden. (Getty Images)
Overall, under this proposal, EPA announced in April 2023 Scheduled to go into effect in 2027, the White House predicts that by 2032, 67% of newly purchased sedans, crossovers, SUVs and light trucks will be electric. Additionally, up to 50% of buses and garbage trucks and 35% of short-haul vehicles will be electrified. By then, his 25% of long-range cargo tractor purchases may also be electric.
The White House said the proposal is the most aggressive of its kind ever proposed and would “accelerate the transition to clean vehicles” and reduce oil imports by 20 billion barrels. Biden and climate activists are targeting the transportation sector because of its high emissions. The transportation sector alone produces about 29% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to federal data.
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The EPA submitted the final regulations to the White House for review in January, and in recent weeks the Office of Management and Budget has consulted with energy industry stakeholders, business leaders, automakers and environmental activist groups, according to federal filings. A series of meetings were held. .
And last month, the New York Times reported that officials favored a so-called “Alternative C” approach. The approach is to ease enforcement of the rules during the initial stages of the proposal, from 2027 to 2030, and then aggressively tighten them in 2031 and 2032. The industry group said such an approach would be equally damaging to consumers because the end result would not change.
President Biden had previously set a goal of making 50% of car purchases EVs by 2030, but the EPA regulations go even further, increasing EV sales to 60% of the market share by then. It turns out. (Anna Moneymaker/Pool/Getty Images | Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
“President Biden has made clear since 2020 that he intends to use federal agencies and the state of California to eliminate sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles,” American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers said. President and CEO Chet Thompson said his group is advocating against EPA tailpipes. said in a written statement to FOX News Digital.
“While multiple administration policies are pushing us toward this goal, EPA’s passenger vehicle standards will do most of the damage by themselves. “We are required to do so,” Thompson said. “This policy will harm consumers, the economy, and national security. It will sacrifice America’s hard-won energy power and reduce our dependence on China and Chinese-controlled EV battery and mineral supply chains. It will increase it further.”
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He added that for consumers, the EPA’s regulations will “feel like a no-no” and will significantly limit both their access to and ability to purchase new gasoline-powered cars, trucks, SUVs, and traditional hybrid vehicles. Thompson also cautioned that the EPA’s proposal does not include an “off-ramp” in case the U.S. charging and power infrastructure is not ready to handle such rapid vehicle electrification. did.
Last year, 9.3% of total vehicle purchases in the U.S. were electric or plug-in hybrids, up from 7% in 2022, according to the Automotive Innovation Coalition, an industry group representing major automakers. This increase was primarily driven by car purchases. California and urban areas where the majority of EV purchases occur.
Even after generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, while the average price of a gasoline subcompact is $24,000, according to the Automotive Innovation Coalition. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
At the same time, EVs are still much more expensive than traditional gasoline cars. Even after generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, while the average subcompact car costs $24,000.
But in a memo written by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation over the weekend and seen by FOX News Digital, the group emphasized that relaxing tailpipe emissions regulations in the early stages of the proposal would help companies meet federal goals. did.
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“Think of the upcoming rules as a six-year curve where the electrification target gets higher each year. Pay close attention to EV adjustments by earlier administrations. That’s the story,” the group said. writing.
The group also raised a number of questions about how the EPA would consider consumer preferences for plug-in hybrids, which the EPA neglected to include in its April 2023 proposal. It also called on the EPA to issue regulations in coordination with other federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy and the Department of Transportation, which will finalize their own rules affecting the EV transition.
Michigan Republican Rep. Tim Walberg (left) and Georgia Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde (right) introduced the Choice Automobile Retail Sales Act in July. The bill passed on a bipartisan vote in December. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
And the EPA’s regulations this week are likely to draw significant backlash from lawmakers who have already launched a number of efforts to curb the federal government’s authority on the issue. In December, the House voted 221-197, with five Democrats joining 216 Republicans. pass a resolution Although proposed by the EPA, the bill has not yet received a vote in the Senate.
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“President Biden has made his intentions clear,” Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, recently told Fox News Digital. “Rather than let people choose the cars and trucks that best fit their lives, he is pushing a Green New Deal that is already under the weight of inflation caused by trillions of dollars of wasteful government spending. We want to force American families facing economic hardship to purchase electric vehicles by making them affordable to families, businesses, and farms. ”
The EPA did not respond to requests for comment, but in February it finalized a tailpipe standard that is “readily achievable, ensures reductions in dangerous air and climate pollution, and provides economic benefits to families.” He said he would do his best.
