Washington, D.C. — Today, President Joe Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a notice of proposed rule-making, announcing an upcoming rule to continue strengthening tailpipe emissions standards and improve gas mileage for light-duty vehicles through model year 2026. The rule will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, cut air pollution, save consumers money, create jobs, and speed transportation electrification. In response, John Podesta, the Center for American Progress’ founder and chair of the board of directors, released the following statement:
The Biden administration is undertaking a major course correction, reversing the Trump administration’s destructive efforts to flatline the clean car standards and instead driving forward with major improvements in vehicle emissions reductions and fuel efficiency over each of the next five years. This rule will be a significant and critical contribution to the Biden administration’s commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions economywide by 2050.
The president has also focused auto manufacturers and autoworkers on the shared goal of electrification, which is exactly right. Building on today’s momentum, several automakers are announcing their intentions to plan for up to 50 percent electric sales by the end of the decade, and I think time will prove that to be the floor rather than the ceiling for ambition as we move urgently toward a 100 percent clean future.
Congress now has a major opportunity to deliver on a historic investment package through budget reconciliation. The major investments in Biden’s Build Back Better agenda for electric vehicle consumer incentives and automotive manufacturing investments will move the United States toward a new era of high-quality, unionized manufacturing jobs right here in the United States. With these investments and longer-term clean car standards yet to come, I am confident we will be on the path to 100 percent electric for new vehicle sales by 2035, and I applaud the Biden administration for today’s strong steps in that direction.
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Claudia Montecinos [email protected]