Strongest-Ever Pollution Standards for Cars and Trucks Proposed

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new proposed federal vehicle emissions standards to accelerate the continued transition to a clean vehicle future to help combat the climate crisis. The standards are to improve air quality by avoiding nearly 10 billion tons of CO₂ emissions which is equivalent to more than twice the nation’s total emission in 2022 while also savings thousands of dollars for the vehicles meeting these standards and reduce the nation’s reliance on approximately 20 billion barrels of oil imports.

According to the EPA,

• Through 2055, EPA projects that the proposed standards would avoid nearly 10 billion tons of CO₂ emissions (equivalent to more than twice the total U.S. CO₂ emissions in 2022).  The proposed standards would reduce other harmful air pollution and lead to fewer premature deaths and serious health effects such as hospital admissions due to respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.
• By accelerating adoption of technologies that reduce fuel and maintenance costs alongside pollution, the proposed standards would save the average consumer $12,000 over the lifetime of a light-duty vehicle, as compared to a vehicle that was not subject to the new standards.
• Together, the proposals would reduce oil imports by approximately 20 billion barrels.
• Overall, EPA estimates that the benefits of the proposed standards would exceed costs by at least $1 trillion.

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