CALSTART Media Contact: Sasha Tenenbaum, stenenbaum@calstart.org, 917-887-0146

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized rules today that significantly weaken greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards across vehicle classes and undermine the longstanding underpinning allowing EPA to regulate GHG emissions under the Clean Air Act.

Since the 1990s, vehicle emissions standards have driven innovation across the transportation sector, accelerating advancements in engine efficiency, hybrid systems, electric drivetrains, and lightweight materials that have reduced emissions while improving vehicle performance. Even more foundational, EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding established that GHG emissions threaten public health, providing the legal framework for regulating climate pollution from vehicles and other sources.

CALSTART’s CEO, Michael Berube, issued the following statement in response to today’s action by EPA:

“The U.S. transportation sector accounts for more GHG emissions than any other sector of the economy. At a time when countries across the world are reducing emissions from vehicles while improving affordability and building a new clean transportation industry, the U.S. is taking a step backwards on its blueprint for transportation decarbonization.

“Today’s EPA announcement ignores the significant progress U.S. industry has made toward a lower-emissions economy and represents a major step back for clean transportation and American competitiveness. Weakening vehicle standards and undermining the endangerment finding injects uncertainty into the market at a moment when global competition for clean vehicle leadership is accelerating.

“Rolling back tailpipe standards has real economic consequences, from higher fuel costs for consumers to significant job loss across the transportation and manufacturing sectors, according to independent modeling. Allowing our laws and regulations to ignore the array of threats presented by climate change will only serve to exacerbate these challenges.

“Private-sector innovators and manufacturers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars into developing cutting-edge, cleaner, more-efficient vehicle technologies — strengthening our domestic supply chains, creating high-quality jobs, and positioning U.S. companies to compete in a rapidly growing global market.

“Smart, durable standards have helped the U.S. lead before, and they remain essential to maintaining that leadership. By dismantling the standards, we risk ceding our leadership just as global demand for low- and zero-emission technologies continues to surge.

“The scientific and economic case for strong vehicle standards remains clear, and CALSTART will continue working with states, industry, and our partners to defend progress and advance policies that support innovation and competitiveness.”

RESOURCES:

National Academies Publish New Report Reviewing Evidence for Greenhouse Gas Emissions and U.S. Climate, Health, and Welfare

About CALSTART

A mission-driven industry organization focused on transportation decarbonization and clean air for all, CALSTART has offices in New York, Michigan, Colorado, California, Florida, and Europe. CALSTART is uniquely positioned to build the national clean transportation industry by working closely with its nearly 200 member companies and building on the lessons learned from the major programs it manages for the State of California. CALSTART manages more than $1 billion in vehicle incentive and technical assistance programs in the United States and is leading a global effort to build the zero-emission commercial vehicle market.