We knew this was coming. Last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set the stage for rolling back the fuel economy mandates put in place during the Biden administration.
In a press release, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency will reconsider the Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles regulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. The EPA says the rules, that imposed over $700 billion in regulatory and compliance costs, provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate. Regulators say the EV mandate takes away Americans’ ability to choose a safe and affordable car for their family and increases the cost of living on all products that trucks deliver.
“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration. As we reconsider nearly one trillion dollars of regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
Additionally, the EPA says it is reevaluating the other parts of the what it calls the Biden EPA’s "problematic" “Clean Trucks Plan.” This includes the 2022 Heavy-Duty Nitrous Oxide (NOx) rule, that it says results in significant costs that will make the products our trucks deliver, like food and other household goods, more expensive.
The EPA says “Protecting and Bringing Back American Auto Jobs” is Pillar 5 of Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative. President Trump and Administrator Zeldin are fulfilling their promise to bring back American auto jobs and invest in domestic manufacturing to revitalize a quintessential American industry.
For more on the environmental actions the EPA announced last week click here.
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