U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin revealed a number of actions this week that would make changes to climate rules set in place by previous administrations.
The first action, to review the MY2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles regulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles, could have rippling effects throughout the passenger and commercial vehicle sectors. Also known as the Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG3), the EPA has labeled them “the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate.” According to statement from the EPA, these standards have imposed more than $700 billion in regulatory and compliance costs.
“GHG3 in its current form is unachievable given the state of battery-electric technology and the sheer lack of charging infrastructure. This rule has been an albatross for the trucking industry, threatening to reduce equipment availability, increase costs for businesses and consumers, and cause major supply chain disruptions,” said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear in a recent statement.
The EPA will also review other parts of the Clean Trucks Plan, including the 2022 Heavy-Duty Nitrous Oxide (NOx) rule, citing that the costs related to these regulations affect increase food and other household goods prices.
These announcements were part of what the EPA is calling “the greatest and most consequential day of deregulation in U.S. history,” which included a total of 31 actions.
“Today is the greatest day of deregulation our nation has seen. We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the U.S. and more,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin.
Another of the possible actions, reconsidering the mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, would reverse the requirement for more than 8,000 U.S. facilities and suppliers to calculate and annually submit emissions reporting.
California Democratic U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff released a joint statement after the actions were announced, warning that eliminating these rules would be “bad for the environment and bad for the health of Californians.”
“This reversal undermines our progress on clean air and will raise prices on working families…our economy will suffer and working families will pay the price,” they added.
