(IntegrityTimes.com) – The Biden administration is expected to announce new regulations to reduce gas-powered vehicle tailpipe emissions on Wednesday March 20, at an event with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EPA Administrator Michael Regan, and various environmental and public health groups. EPA officials believe the changes will incentivize Americans to transition to electric vehicles more rapidly, while critics of the proposed changes say the new requirements will effectively feel like a ban on gas-powered options for people looking to purchase a new car.
Combatting climate change has always been a key part of Biden’s plans, and he promised to push regulations forward on this issue a year ago. At that time, he suggested auto manufacturers would need to cut their average emissions of carbon dioxide 52 percent between 2027 and 2032, which the EPA has said would result in electric cars and light trucks making up about 67 percent of all new vehicles by 2032. Heavy-duty trucks wouldn’t be included in these changes but plans for separate regulations for those are expected to be announced at a later date.
The EPA’s description of the event on Wednesday says that the focus will be on addressing climate change, improving air quality and protecting public health. There are many who are concerned that a possible second Trump presidency will result in environmental protections being rolled back, so there is a certain urgency in getting the new rules firmly in place within the next two months. As former president Trump has made comments referring to the Biden administration’s “electric car lunacy”, it does seem likely that he may have plans to do so, if he is given the chance.
Jason Isaac, president and CEO of the American Energy Institute, asserts that this is just a campaign move intended to appease “climate alarmists” that make up the Democrat donor base. Further he says it will drive up costs and not improve pollution or human health. Chet Thompson, CEO of American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers, in concerned that the new requirements will leave America more dependent on China’s electric vehicle batteries. Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund’s president Manish Bapna commented that while the anticipated final rule will deliver 95 percent of the draft’s greenhouse gas emission cuts, that the resulting changes to carbon pollution will be “very, very modest”.
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