By TOM KRISHER and MATTHEW DALY (Associated Press)
The Biden administration is expected to announce new automobile emissions standards this week, which will relax proposed limits for three years before eventually reaching the same strict standards proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
This change comes as sales of zero-tailpipe emissions electric vehicles, necessary to meet the standards, have started to slow. The auto industry has objected to the EPA's preferred standards introduced last April, as part of the most ambitious plan ever aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions from passenger vehicles, citing slower sales growth.
The EPA indicated that with its preferred alternative, the industry could meet the limits if 67% of new vehicle sales are electric by 2032.
However, during a public comment period on the standards for 2027 through 2032, the auto industry considered the benchmarks unworkable, as EV sales slow due to consumer concerns about cost, range, and a lack of publicly available charging stations.
Three individuals familiar with the standards stated that the Biden EPA will select an alternative that slows implementation from 2027 through 2029, but gradually increases to reach the level preferred by the EPA from 2030 to 2032. The alternative will include other modifications to help the auto industry meet the standards, including changes in how EV fuel economy is measured, according to one of the individuals.
The sources, two from the auto industry and one from the government, did not want to be identified because the new standards have not been made public by the EPA.
The changes seem to be aimed at addressing strong industry opposition to the accelerated increase of EVs, as well as public reluctance to fully embrace the new technology. There is also a valid threat of legal challenges before conservative courts.
The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, has increasingly limited the powers of federal agencies, including the EPA, in recent years. The justices have restricted the EPA's authority to combat air and water pollution, including a significant 2022 ruling that limited the EPA's authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from power plants contributing to global warming.
Biden has made fighting climate change a cornerstone of his presidency and aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles, the largest single source of US greenhouse gas emissions.
At the same time, Biden needs cooperation from the auto industry and political support from auto workers, a crucial political voting bloc. The United Auto Workers union, which has endorsed Biden, has expressed support for the transition to electric vehicles, but wants to ensure that jobs are preserved and that the industry pays high wages to workers involved in building EVs and batteries.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned on Tuesday that White House officials do not have any concerns about the EPA rule, which could be announced as early as Wednesday.
"We know that these things take time," she told reporters on Air Force One as Biden traveled to Nevada. "But we are still committed to our climate goals."
In general, environmental organizations have been hopeful about the new EPA plan.
Manish Bapna, who is the president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, recently told the press that he anticipates the regulation will greatly reduce carbon emissions from cars and light-duty trucks, which account for one-fifth of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Bapna stated that based on their information, there is no reason to question that the climate regulations for cars and light-duty trucks will reduce more than 90% of the carbon pollution from new cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks over the next few decades. This is significant.
From 2027 to 2055, the EPA rule is expected to stop over 7 billion tons of climate-damaging carbon emissions. This is more than what the nation produces in a year. Bapna emphasized that this progress is absolutely necessary and tangible.
Amanda Leland, who is the executive director of the Environmental Defense Fund, another environmental group, stated that “EPA’s clean car standards will push for faster progress as the U.S. strives to achieve cleaner, healthier air for everyone.”
Leland pointed out that tailpipes release harmful particle pollution and smog and are among the largest sources of climate pollution in the nation. She highlighted that strong clean car standards not only contribute to cleaner air and a safer climate but also result in significant cost savings for families and the creation of numerous new jobs in U.S. manufacturing.
Luke Tonachel, an automobile expert with the Natural Resources Defense Council, mentioned that the new clean-car standards will motivate the auto industry to continue long-term investments in electric vehicles (EV) and zero-emission vehicles. He also stated that the rule will signal infrastructure providers and utilities to further expand the charging infrastructure.
However, Dan Becker at the Center for Biological Diversity expressed concerns that loopholes could allow the industry to keep selling gas-powered vehicles. He also worried that the industry may do very little during the initial three years of the standards, which could be reversed if Donald Trump becomes president.
Becker remarked, “Simply put, the administration is giving in to pressure from major oil, automotive, and dealerships to delay progress on EVs and permit increased pollution from vehicles.”
At a rally in the Detroit area in September, Trump asserted that Biden’s support for electric vehicles, a key part of his clean-energy agenda, would ultimately lead to job losses. Trump informed his audience, “He’s betraying you to China, he’s betraying you to the environmental extremists, and the radical left.”
Republicans and some in the industry have claimed that the regulation would mandate 67% of new vehicle sales to be electric by 2032, compelling people to purchase cars, trucks, and SUVs that they are not yet prepared to accept.
EPA Administrator Michael Regan has indicated that the new rule is a performance standard that puts the onus on the industry to devise solutions.
In the last year, electric vehicle sales in the U.S. grew by 47% to a record 1.19 million as the EV market share increased from 5.8% in 2022 to 7.6%. However, the growth in EV sales slowed towards the end of the year, rising only 34% in December.
The Alliance for Auto Innovation, a large industry trade group, stated in a news release that the EPA's increase to 67% initially proposed is too rapid for the industry to accomplish. The pace at which the EPA wants electric vehicles to be adopted is quicker than President Joe Biden's goal of electric vehicles making up half of U.S. new vehicle sales by 2030, the group stated.
The group mentioned that it's unclear where we will be in 2032 at this point. They added that slowing down the rate of electric vehicle adoption in 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030 would be the right decision because it focuses on more reasonable and attainable electrification targets in the next few crucial years.
The EPA's preferred standards reduce carbon dioxide emissions from 152 grams per mile in 2026 to 73 in 2032, which is a 52% decrease. The limits would reach 99 grams per mile by 2029.
However, environmental groups expect the EPA to adopt an alternative that eases the standards in the first three years, reaching 112 grams by 2029 but still hitting 73 in 2032.
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AP Auto Writer Tom Krisher reported from Detroit. AP reporter Seung Min Kim on Air Force One contributed to this story.
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This story is corrected to show that the NRDC president said the EPA rule will prevent 7 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over 28 years, not 70 billion tons.
