Josh Chetwynd
Former Director, Destination: Zero Carbon, Environment America Research & Policy Center
Environment America
WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule on Monday to limit global warming pollution from cars and trucks. In total, the EPA’s new rule will result in more than 3.1 billion tons of avoided greenhouse gas emissions through 2050, which is the equivalent to more than half of net U.S. carbon dioxide emissions in 2019.
While policymakers proposed a version of the regulation in August that would have given automakers a greater ability to build polluting vehicles, the agency instead went with a more robust option that offers increased protections for air quality and climate. The decision finalizes the rule to revise greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks, restoring protections following the Trump administration’s rollback of safeguards, which could have resulted in 900 million additional metric tons of global warming pollution in our atmosphere.
In response, Morgan Folger, Environment America’s Destination: Zero Carbon campaign director, released the following statement:
“We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief now that a strong federal clean car rule is restored. Despite pushback from the auto industry, we’ve fought for the past six years for a clean cars rule that would radically reduce air and climate pollution. Today is a win on that front, creating an onramp to a future with zero emissions from our cars and trucks. Thank you to the EPA and Administrator Michael Regan for following through on one of the most significant actions our country can take to solve the climate crisis.”