The Future of the U.S. Environmental Protection Act: An Alternative Pathway for Putting the State on It’s Next Path, or How to Get On Its Way

The all-electric fleet may be available in the early part of next decade, but the environmental groups want a faster timetable to put the country on it’s path.

But the auto industry favors an alternative pathway that would result in EVs hitting 50 percent of vehicle sales by 2030, arguing it is a more realistic timeline for automakers that have been struggling to produce EVs at the right price point for consumers.

Under the final rules, light-duty vehicles (passenger vehicles like sedans, SUVs, and trucks) would be required to hit an industry-wide target of 85 grams of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per mile by 2032, down from 170 grams / mile in 2027. The EPA requires a 44 percent reduction in GHG emissions for medium-duty vehicles by 2032 and a 70 percent reduction by 2027.

The end result of the final rule will be a significant change in the types of cars people drive and how they breathe, according to experts.

The EPA will be the most important climate regulation in the history of the country, said the former executive director of the EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

“There may be disagreement, how fast, how much,” Oge added, “but in my experience … the country needs to move forward by moving away from fossil fuels.”

For the Biden administration, the rules are a vital part of the president’s climate goals. Half of all new car sales must be tailpipe emissions-free by the year 2020 under an executive order signed by Biden after he took office.

Ali Zaidi, a White House advisor on climate, said that the final rule has increased flexibility that will still deliver gains for public health and the environment.

The new standards of the EPA will result in a reduction of 7.2 billion metric tons of harmful carbon dioxide emissions over the course of the program and $13 billion in health benefits.

The Road to Lead by Example: The Role of EVs in the First Five-Year Predictions of the U.S. Senate Budget

“For the person who is wondering if my country is doing what it can to step up at the moment of crisis and lead by example?” Zaidi said. The answer is yes.

The planet has gotten about 1.2 degrees Celsius hotter since the Industrial Revolution, and that’s already been enough to cause more extreme weather, intensify wildfires, and raise sea levels high enough to push coastal communities away from their homes. The Paris agreement wants to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to prevent those disasters from getting worse.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for automotive innovation, said in a statement that slowing down the timeline was the right call. “These adjusted EV targets – still a stretch goal – should give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up.”

The issue of electric vehicles is a potential wedge issue in the campaign trail, with Trump portraying them as hard to charge and unpopular with most Americans. The White House wants consumers to still be able to choose a new vehicle.

“The bottom line is, this shows that leadership matters,” Zaidi said. He prioritized public health, environmental protection, and consumer savings, as well as tackling the climate crisis.