The Biden administration on Wednesday announced more relaxed vehicle emissions standards following appeals from the auto industry as sales of electric vehicles soar.
Officials still hail the new rules as the most ambitious plan yet to reduce global warming emissions from passenger cars, but the initial tailpipe limits the Environmental Protection Agency proposed last year It has been eased.
The decision was also made to give Americans time to get used to EVs as more chargers are installed and automakers work on supply chains and developing more affordable electric models, Wall said. Street Journal reported.
The auto industry opposed the EPA’s priority standards, announced last April, citing slowing sales growth. the plan Reduce emissions from passenger cars that contribute to global warming.
Under the final rule, the EPA plans to allow a longer-term rollout, with the industry expected to make 56% of new vehicle sales electric by 2032, with at least 13% also plug-in hybrids and other partially electric vehicles. It is said that the limit may be met. As a more efficient gas-powered vehicle, it gets more miles per gallon.
What is EPA proposing?
The EPA rule applies to model years from 2027 to 2032 and covers new emissions from new passenger cars, light trucks, and pickup trucks, as well as greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Other types of air pollution will also be significantly reduced.
The EPA said the rule would help “tack on the climate crisis” and lead to widespread reductions in air pollution while encouraging the adoption of cleaner vehicle technologies. Officials are finalizing the rules after sales of clean vehicles, including plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles, hit record highs last year.
The new rules would delay implementation of stricter pollution standards from 2027 to 2029 after the auto industry argued the proposed benchmarks were unfeasible. The rules will be strengthened to nearly reach EPA-recommended levels by 2032.
“Let me be clear: our final rule will deliver pollution reductions equal to or greater than those established in the proposal,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told reporters. In addition to carbon pollution, Regan said the final standard will also reduce other serious air pollution that contributes to heart attacks, respiratory illnesses, worsening asthma and reduced lung function.
“Folks, these new standards are critical to public health, to American jobs, to the economy, and to our planet,” he said.
Regan said the standard is designed to be technology-neutral and performance-based, giving auto and truck manufacturers the flexibility to choose the pollution control technology that best suits their customers while meeting environmental and public health goals. He said that
Why did EPA change the proposed rule?
The changes appear aimed at addressing strong industry opposition to the accelerated adoption of EVs and a public reluctance to fully embrace new technology. There is also a legitimate threat of legal challenges in conservative courts.
The Supreme Court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, has increasingly curtailed the power of federal agencies, including the EPA, in recent years.
The justices limited the EPA’s authority to fight air and water pollution. Landmark 2022 Judgment This limited the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, which contribute to global warming.
President Biden declares war on climate change Characteristics of his Presidency It also aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles, which are the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
At the same time, a Democratic president needs cooperation from the auto industry and political support from auto workers, a key political voting bloc.
The United Auto Workers union, which supports Biden, says it supports the transition to electric vehicles but wants to preserve jobs and ensure the industry pays top wages to workers making EVs and batteries. .
What are Trump and other Republicans saying?
At a Detroit-area rally in September, Mr. Trump argued that introducing electric vehicles, a key element of Mr. Biden’s clean energy policy, would ultimately lead to job losses.
“He’s selling you out to China, he’s selling you out to environmental extremists, he’s selling you out to the radical left,” Trump told an audience surrounded by American flags and pallets of auto parts.
with republican party some people in the industry The government argued the rule mandated EVs, but President Reagan and White House officials pushed back.
“While some may wish to mandate electric vehicles, this is clearly not the case given the multiple routes companies can take to comply with this rule,” Regan said. “We are well within the law and statutory authority by not mandating any particular technology.”
He said the EPA could still meet its carbon pollution goals even if battery electric vehicle sales drop by about 30% in 2032, as long as other standards are met.
U.S. electric vehicle sales rose 47% last year to a record 1.19 million units, as EV market share rose from 5.8% to 7.6% in 2022. However, growth in EV sales slowed towards the end of the year. It rose 34% in December.
