Auto dealers up campaign urging Biden administration to halt EPA tailpipe emission limits regulation
DETROIT– More than 4,700 car dealers in the United States called on President Joe Biden in a letter Thursday to halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to enforce stricter vehicle pollution standards.
The missive comes just weeks before the agency’s expected ruling on its tailpipe emissions proposal, which addresses both climate change and pollutants that harm health.
It’s the second letter auto dealers have sent to the White House in two months about the EPA’s upcoming ruling, which could codify the agency’s strictest-ever tailpipe emissions limits, proposed last April. The dealers said Thursday that the Biden administration did not respond to their initial Nov. 28 letter.
The agency and administration did not return a request for comment.
As the world focuses on limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, the government has an ambitious target to halve domestic emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases by 2030. Part of her focus is on the transportation sector, where 58% of emissions come from passenger cars and trucks, according to the EPA. The regulation also limits emissions of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter into the air. These emissions cause a wide range of health problems and disproportionately affect people living near heavy traffic.
The EPA says the proposed regulations require two out of three vehicles sold in the U.S. to be electric by 2032. That is higher than the government’s target of 50% set two years ago.
The regulations, which will affect light- and medium-duty vehicles from model year 2027, could mean a 56% reduction in projected fleet greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing standards, eliminating nearly 7.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions can be avoided. 2055. They also reduce pollutants harmful to health by 60% compared to the existing standard by model year 2032.
Most automakers around the world have committed hundreds of billions of dollars to transitioning to selling all-electric new vehicles over the next decade, as momentum to tackle climate change increases. According to Motorintelligence.com, total US electric car sales grew 47% last year to a record 1.2 million. EVs show year-on-year growth, but only reached 7.6% of the total market share in 2023.
That’s why thousands of car dealers say they won’t be able to meet the EPA’s strict targets.
Nearly 4,000 dealers from the nearly 17,000 franchised stores across the country asked Biden to “pump the brakes” on the EPA proposal in the November letter, referring to the rules as an “electric vehicle mandate.” Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a bill in December to block pollution limits, also calling the rules a mandate.
In this week’s letter, the dealers asked Biden to “put the full brakes on,” citing several factors they say point to a slowdown in electric vehicle adoption. The signatories said the supply of electric cars on dealer lots is twice that of internal combustion engine cars, and they will not be able to sell electric cars at the pace required by regulations.
“There is no question that the combination of reduced tax incentives, woefully inadequate charging infrastructure, and insufficient consumer demand makes the proposed electric vehicle mandate completely unrealistic,” the letter said.
EPA exhaust pollution limits do not require automakers to sell a specific number of electric vehicles each year.
Automakers can meet EPA regulations not only through sales of pure electric vehicles, but also through a sales mix that includes hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The EPA has also said the auto industry could make widespread use of particulate filters, which soften particulate emissions from internal combustion engines.
The EPA is also proposing regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and the government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has separately proposed fuel economy increases.
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, @ast.john. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.
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