As Ford Authority reported yesterday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced that it will reconsider regulations and emissions standards that were set under the Biden Administration for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, which were slated to begin taking effect with the 2027 model year, moves it says will help reduce costs for manufacturers and consumers alike. Now, the Ford backed lobby group known as the Alliance for Automotive Innovation is throwing its support behind that decision, too.
“It’s positive the new leadership at EPA intends to revisit current greenhouse gas emissions rules,” John Bozzella, president and CEO Alliance for Automotive Innovation said in a statement. “A balanced approach to emissions in the U.S. is key to preserving vehicle choice, keeping the industry globally competitive and in a position to support the country’s economic and national security in the years ahead.”
“As we’ve said for a long time, the existing GHG rules are extremely challenging to achieve. Even in the best of circumstances we called them the ‘ragged edge of achievable.’ Just like we said when Secretary Duffy announced a review of the CAFE program in January, because U.S. tailpipes are overseen by three federal agencies and multiple rules, any changes to EPA’s standards will have to be coordinated with the other emissions rules overseen by the Departments of Transportation and Energy.”
Back in August 2021, Biden signed a non-legally binding executive order that aspires to achieve a 50 percent EV mix in new vehicle sales by 2030, which includes battery-electric, plug-in hybrid, and fuel cell-powered vehicles. Additionally, the executive order proposes new vehicle emissions rules that aim to both increase fuel economy standards and slash emissions by 3.7 percent between 2023 and 2026 – all of which are moves that Ford supported at the time.
Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order of his own that reversed many of these changes, including the proposed EV sales mix goal, and put a halt to distributing unspent funds from vehicle charging stations – the latter of which another Ford-backed group recently asked the President to reconsider. Shortly thereafter, Trump nixed Biden’s vehicle fuel economy averages that were set to increase two percent each year for 2027-2031 model year passenger cars, as well as light trucks built in the 2029-2031 model years. Additionally, Trump is mulling the idea of revoking California’s EPA waiver as that state aims to eliminate the sale of traditional ICE vehicles by 2035.
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