Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) opened Final pollution emission standards for the auto industry on Wednesday. The rules, which contain a looser time frame than those proposed last year, require the majority of new passenger car and light truck sales in the U.S. to be electric or hybrid by 2032.
It is the place on a catastrophic trajectory with climate change, and no amount of baseless conspiracy theories or talking points from the oil and gas industry, Donald Trump or anyone else, will change that. Only phasing out fossil fuels and emissions it will reverse its worst effects. The Biden Administration’s EPA is trying to do just that — while throwing stakeholders like unions and automakers a bone to navigate the landmines of today’s political realities.
The final rules provide a timeline for 2032 to phase out the purchase of gas-powered vehicles that provide the majority of U.S. vehicle sales as fully electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid or advanced gasoline. The transition begins in 2027, but moderates after 2030. A major change from standards proposed last AprilBy 2032, EVs are expected to account for two-thirds of vehicle sales.
The change was an election-year compromise for Biden, who must balance a crucial battle against climate change with 2024 auto union endorsements. Unions had moved toward a more relaxed pace, fearing that a more aggressive transition like the EPA proposed last year would lead to job losses. Electric vehicles typically require fewer assembly workers than traditional gas-powered vehicles.
Last year, United Auto Workers (UAW) President Shawn Fain suspended support for Biden’s re-election over concerns about the EV transition. But (perhaps after hearing assurances about revised rules) the UAW endorsed his re-election bid in January.
“The EPA has made significant progress in the final greenhouse gas emissions rule for light trucks,” the UAW said in a statement about the new rules published by the EPA. “Taking the concerns of workers and communities seriously, EPA has gone a long way to create a more feasible emissions rule that protects the workers who make ICE vehicles, while also providing a path forward for automakers to implement the full range of vehicle technologies to reduce emissions. .”
Contrary to online misinformation or what your uncle might tell you, regulations aimed at the auto industry, not consumers, do not make gas-guzzling cars and trucks illegal. Instead, they require automakers to meet specific emissions standards across their product lines. The rules apply to the sale of a new car, not a used one.
The EPA says the final rule will provide $99 billion in benefits and save the average American driver $6,000 in fuel and maintenance over the life of their vehicle. Other benefits include avoiding 7.2 billion additional tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2055 and offering “an annual net benefit to society of close to $100 billion”. Reductions in fine particulate matter and ozone would prevent up to 2,500 premature deaths in 2055, while reducing related health problems such as heart attacks, asthma and other respiratory diseases.
“Three years ago, I set an ambitious goal: By 2030, half of all new cars and trucks sold will be zero-emissions,” President Biden said in a White House statement to Engadget. “I brought the American car manufacturers together. I brought the American auto workers together. Together, we have made historic progress. Hundreds of newly expanded factories across the country. Hundreds of billions in private investment and thousands of well-paying union jobs. And we will reach my goal for 2030 and move forward in the coming years. Today we are setting new pollution standards for cars and trucks. “U.S. workers will lead the world in producing clean cars and trucks, each bearing the “Made in America” stamp.”
