WASHINGTON – Today, March 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the strongest pollution standards for passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles in history. These standards will avoid more than 7 billion tons of carbon emissions and provide nearly $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion of annual public health benefits due to improved air quality, and $62 billion in reduced annual fuel costs, and maintenance and repair costs for drivers.
Leaders from across business and labor, advocacy and public health groups, and government are praising the final standards. See what they are saying:
Business and Labor Leaders
Ford Motor Company:
“We appreciate EPA’s efforts and collaboration in strengthening greenhouse gas emissions standards in ways that reflect the realities of the EV transition. The agency’s final rule is ambitious and challenging, and achieving its requirements will take close public-private cooperation. Ford will continue to lower emissions while offering our customers choices across hybrid, plug-in hybrid and fully electric vehicles that are highly functional and fun to drive – including America’s best-selling hybrid and fully electric trucks.”
General Motors:
“GM supports the goals of the EPA’s final rule and its intention to significantly reduce emissions. Although challenging, we believe our commitments and investments in an all-electric future place GM in an excellent position to contribute to the goals of the final rule. While we review the details, we encourage continued coordination across the U.S. federal government and with the California Air Resources Board to ensure the auto industry can successfully transition to electrification.”
Stellantis:
“Electrification is vital to our Dare Forward vision, which includes a genuine commitment to provide our customers with no-compromise driving experiences that also benefit the environment. While the later-year targets remain aggressive, the final rule improves on the proposal by better reflecting the expected trajectory of market demand and enabling infrastructure. It is critical that forthcoming rules align with this proposal so that US manufacturers can effectively comply with a single set of rules.”
John Bozzella, Alliance for Automotive Innovation:
“The future is electric. Automakers are committed to the EV transition – investing enormous amounts of capital and building cutting edge battery electric vehicles, plug-in hybrids, traditional hybrids and fuel cell vehicles that drive efficiency and convert petroleum miles to electric miles. Consumers have tons of choices.
“But pace matters. Moderating the pace of EV adoption in 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030 was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few (very critical) years of the EV transition.
“These adjusted EV targets – still a stretch goal – should give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up. It buys some time for more public charging to come online and the industrial incentives and policies of the Inflation Reduction Act to do their thing.
“And the big one? The rules are mindful of the importance of choice to drivers and preserves their ability to choose the vehicle that’s right for them.”
United Automobile Workers:
“The UAW has a strong commitment to protecting the environment and fully supports efforts to create a cleaner domestic auto industry. The climate crisis has taken a heavy toll on working people, who have had to endure the consequences of corporate America’s decisions to put profits before a clean environment and a fair economy. That needs to change. The UAW is proudly leading the fight for a just transition so the shift to electric vehicles truly benefits workers and the environment, not just the auto industry and Wall Street. The EPA has made significant progress on its final greenhouse gas emissions rule for light-duty vehicles. By taking seriously the concerns of workers and communities, the EPA has created a more feasible emissions rule that protects workers building ICE vehicles, while providing a path forward for automakers to implement the full range of automotive technologies to reduce emissions. This rule does not require Ford, General Motors, Stellantis or any other domestic automaker to do anything beyond the commitments they’ve made to shareholders to capitalize on the growing EV market. We reject the fearmongering that says tackling the climate crisis must come at the cost of union jobs. Ambitious and achievable regulations can support both. We call on the Biden Administration to hold automakers accountable so that this rule is not used as an excuse to cut or offshore jobs.
The billionaire class and their allies in government expect workers to bear the brunt of the crisis. When it comes to the EV transition, corporations see an opportunity to collect taxpayer subsidies, increase profits, lower job quality and leave workers behind. Reaching our climate goals requires massive public investments. Government subsidies must create quality union jobs by including strong labor standards that require employers to meet or exceed industry standards, protect workers’ right to organize, and invest in communities impacted by the transition. This moment calls for a whole of government approach to ensure the next generation of vehicles are made in the United States and the auto industry supports quality union jobs for American workers. This transition should be a clear victory for working people, not another reason to look over our shoulder, wondering when our plants will close or our jobs will be cut. From trade policy to new legislation to environmental regulation to clean energy implementation, all policies must point in the same direction toward a just transition for autoworkers.
The transition to cleaner technologies cannot be used to intensify the global race to the bottom through offshoring and low wages. We need to see movement by the administration to protect these jobs. The nascent EV industry needs tariff protections – otherwise we are going to be awash in imports. The stakes of the transition are high for American workers. We will continue to work with the Administration and fight to get these policies right for American autoworkers. UAW members are doing our part by fighting for and winning important Just Transition provisions through bargaining and organizing at new EV and battery plants across the country. UAW members at the Big Three used their power to win critical investment commitments, job security provisions, and job quality standards to ensure workers are not left behind in the transition to cleaner vehicles. And just this week, over 4,000 workers building ICEVs and BEVs at Volkswagen in Chattanooga, Tenn., announced they are standing up and filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board for a vote to join the UAW. But UAW members should not have to shoulder the burden of a just transition on our own. We need policymakers who will support these efforts, from the halls of Congress to the picket line.”
Emily Fisher, EEI Executive Vice President, Clean Energy and General Counsel:
“EEI and our member electric companies have fully embraced a strategy that will deliver resilient clean energy to the customers and communities that we serve. Electrifying the transportation sector will be key to reducing emissions across the economy and to achieving our goals for a carbon-free future. We look forward to working with EPA Administrator Regan to help build the electric vehicle charging infrastructure needed to accelerate the clean energy and electric transportation transition.”
Albert Gore, Executive Director of the Zero Emission Transportation Association:
“These standards make clear that securing America’s global leadership in manufacturing and securing a better future are 100% aligned. We have everything we need today to meet and exceed this standard, and that means more of the vehicles sold in America will be made in America.”
Ben Prochazka, Executive Director of the Electrification Coalition:
“Today’s action provides necessary regulatory certainty and is another opportunity to ensure we end our nation’s dependence on oil for transportation. We are seeing strong EV sales growth, with almost five million EVs sold in the U.S. Transportation electrification is no longer a question of ‘if’ but a question of ‘when. Because global oil markets are controlled by bad actors who do not share our democratic values, shifting away from oil and toward electricity makes the U.S. stronger and safer. With this clarity, we have the opportunity to leverage important commitments from the automotive industry, action at the local, state, and federal levels, and powerful technology to accelerate EV adoption. By plugging into a diverse and domestic grid, we are driving electric, building electric, and powering electric, which will create good American jobs and help ensure the U.S. maintains its automotive leadership. We appreciate the Biden-Harris administration’s ongoing efforts to advance transportation electrification, including yesterday’s U.S. Department of Energy announcement of an updated fuel economy formula for EVs and generational investments through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.”
Environmental and Public Health Organizations
Amanda Leland, Executive Director of Environmental Defense Fund:
“This is a day to celebrate American achievement. The step EPA is taking today will slash climate pollution and air pollution. It will bring more jobs for workers, more choices and more savings for consumers, and a healthier future for our children. The U.S. has leapt forward in the global race to invest in clean vehicles, with $188 billion and nearly 200,000 jobs on the way. Jobs in communities across the country, in places like Michigan, Nevada, and Kentucky. These clean car standards will help supercharge economic expansion and make America stronger. Ask the Air Force veteran who wants a powerful car that doesn’t run on foreign oil. Ask the third-generation auto dealer in Michigan who wants to be able to sell made-in-America clean cars. Ask my 76-year-old parents, who drive a clean car because it costs less and will help leave a better world for their grandchildren.
These new standards will mean more choices. Better, faster, more fun, cheaper clean cars and passenger trucks of all kinds. American ingenuity will give families more options than ever before – and choosing an electric vehicle will save thousands in fuel costs in the process. Finally – and most importantly to me, as a mom – these new standards will mean healthier days ahead for us all. Today’s action will cut over seven billion tons of climate pollution – that’s more than all U.S. greenhouse gas pollution last year. It will slash deadly soot and reduce smog. That means fewer asthma attacks, less heart disease, and longer lives. The reality is clean cars will save kids. The future is electric – built on a shared, pollution-free vision grounded in economic prosperity, job growth, and consumer savings. Today we continue our journey toward a cleaner, healthier world. As a mom, I want to thank everyone who made it possible.”
Manish Bapna, President and CEO of Natural Resources Defense Council:
“This is where the rubber meets the road on climate. These commonsense standards will slash the source of a fifth of the nation’s carbon footprint. Over time, these rules will prevent more carbon pollution than the entire U.S. economy coughs up in a year. They’ll save drivers money at the pump and cut tailpipe pollution that endangers public health. In the longer journey to confront the climate crisis, these standards take us in the right direction. They signal a commitment to stay the course, build on gathering momentum and see the mission through to its finish. That’s what confronting the climate crisis demands.”
Abigail Dillen, President of Earthjustice:
“The Environmental Protection Agency has taken a major step forward to clean up tailpipe pollution and address the climate crisis by accelerating the essential transition to clean cars and trucks. These standards make clear what we already know: the future of cars is electric. And there is more work ahead to clean up pollution and modernize our transportation sector. It is critical that our large auto manufacturers take advantage of the extra time EPA has provided to ramp up their investments in clean, zero-emissions vehicles for the sake of our lungs, our health and the climate. The U.S. auto industry cannot afford to fall behind the rest of the world.”
Harold Wimmer, President and CEO of American Lung Association:
“EPA just took a critical step to address climate change and reduce air pollution. Stronger limits on pollution from cars, pickups and SUVs will improve the air that everyone breathes and help prevent future health harms from climate change. We are especially pleased to see the final rule includes strong standards to reduce particulate matter from new gasoline vehicles. The strict standards will require state-of-the-art pollution controls that are widely used in Europe and Asia and will save lives. While we applaud the stricter limits on car emissions, EPA must also urgently finalize stringent standards to limit greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, including freight trucks and buses. Trucks represent a small fraction of total on-road vehicles but generate the greatest share of harmful air pollutants. Reducing emissions from both cars and trucks is critical to improving public health, advancing health equity and addressing climate change.
Cleaning up future cars has widespread public support. A recent poll released by the Lung Association found that a strong majority of voters support the EPA setting stricter limits on emissions from light-duty vehicles like cars or trucks. That same poll found that cleaning up trucks is popular, too. Seven in ten voters support EPA setting stricter limits on carbon emissions from heavy-duty vehicles.
“The widespread and rapid shift to zero-emission transportation is necessary to improve lung health and save lives. Everyone deserves to breathe clean and healthy air. The Lung Association’s ‘Zeroing in on Healthy Air’ report highlights that a widespread transition to zero-emission transportation and electricity would dramatically improve health. In fact, the transition would result in up to 110,000 fewer deaths and $1.2 trillion in public health benefits across the United States by 2050. The Lung Association now calls on President Biden and EPA to continue its work finalizing clean air and climate protections, including strong final cleaner trucks standards, measures to ratchet down on toxic air emissions from burning coal and set much-needed limits on carbon pollution from power plants.”
Ben Jealous, Executive Director of Sierra Club:
“Every single day, millions of Americans suffer under the weight of vehicle pollution, unsustainable gas prices, and the climate crisis, all fueled by tailpipe emissions spewing from gas cars throughout our communities. Today, President Biden, in one of the most significant actions his administration can take on climate change, has put forward standards with benefits extending far beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The Biden Administration’s new clean car standards will save lives and money for families. And with investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act underway, these new standards will only further help U.S. manufacturers in building American-made and union-built zero-emission vehicles.”
Steven Higashide, Union of Concerned Scientists:
“Today’s announcement will shift the trajectory of the automobile market and put us on a path to real emissions reductions, with an estimated 7.2 billion tons of global warming pollution avoided by 2055. These rules are the strongest standards ever finalized and vital for meeting U.S. climate goals. This rule is technology-neutral and won’t mandate electric vehicles, but it will encourage this growing market. New cars sold in the coming years will be on the road for a decade or more, so it’s vital that these rules cut emissions from gasoline cars as well as encourage zero-emission electric cars. However, EPA should have gone even further because we have the technology to be more ambitious. The science is clear on both the urgent need to cut climate-endangering emissions and the fact that we can make the cuts we need. We don’t have many opportunities to reduce transportation pollution and it’s disappointing that this rule falls short of what’s possible. We’ll continue to push the administration to create, implement and enforce the strongest rules possible. These standards will help clean up emissions from transportation—the biggest source of global warming pollution in the U.S. To achieve their full potential, these rules must be accompanied by other investments in a cleaner, more accessible transportation system. These investments—many of which are already underway—must build out charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, boost domestic manufacturing, put more renewable power on the electric grid, and expand transit, walking and bicycling options. We need to use every policy tool available to reduce the dangers of climate change and build the transportation system of the future.”
Melody Reis, Moms Clean Air Force, Senior Legislative and Regulatory Policy Manager:
“For far too long, cars and trucks have driven us towards a climate and health crisis. We don’t have to keep going in that direction. It is far too dangerous. Today’s announcement will benefit families across the country, especially those living near highways and busy transportation corridors, who bear the brunt of the effects of toxic tailpipe pollution every day, including increased rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. These safeguards are an investment in a more equitable future, in cleaner air, and a more stable climate. Moms Clean Air Force thanks EPA for taking this critical step toward a safer, healthier future, and will keep pushing for the progress our children deserve.”
Andre Delattre, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for Program for U.S. PIRG Education Fund:
“We’ve come a long way from the horse and buggy days. Today’s consumers can choose from multiple models of clean, reliable electric cars that don’t pollute the air or require trips to the gas station. This new rule will help us realize the promise of modern vehicle technology to bring about a safer, healthier and more secure America.”
Lisa Frank, Executive Director of Environment America Research & Policy Center’s Washington office:
“For decades, the convenience promised by cars came at a high price to Americans’ health and the environment: air pollution choking our cities, asthma threatening our kids and an ever-warming climate. In 2024, it’s possible to power our cars, buses and even pickup trucks with clean electricity. A brighter future without dirty tailpipes is within reach and we applaud the Biden administration for helping to achieve it through investments in EV charging, tax credits and today’s actions.”
Dan Lashof, Director, United States, World Resources Institute:
“These new standards will speed the adoption of cleaner, more efficient vehicles across America’s roads and go a long way to ensuring that all Americans can access the benefits of electric vehicles. The standards will have a direct impact on Americans’ lives, improving air quality, cutting people’s transportation costs and reducing climate pollution. Today transportation contributes more to the climate crisis than any other sector in the United States. In 2023, Americans purchased a record 1.2 million electric vehicles thanks, in part, to the consumer tax credits established by the Inflation Reduction Act. Investments in new electric vehicle manufacturing facilities are sprouting up across the nation, creating good jobs and boosting local economies. We look forward to the final standards for heavy duty vehicles later this spring and urge federal and state policymakers to defend these standards from attack while continuing to advance additional policies to cut vehicle pollution and make the benefits of electric vehicles available to all Americans.”
Darien Davis, LCV Government Affairs Advocate for Climate & Clean Energy:
“We applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for finalizing cleaner cars rules that advance climate, jobs, and justice. The final rule will slash billions of tons of climate pollution and protect the health of families across the country — particularly those in communities living near busy roads and highways. This rule, in combination with the DOE’s Petroleum Equivalency Factor and the hundreds of billions of dollars the Biden-Harris administration has delivered in their affordable clean energy plan, will help to supercharge low and zero-emission vehicle innovation and manufacturing across the country — boosting good family-sustaining jobs and decreasing tailpipe pollution. ”
Michael Kodransky, Senior Director of Transportation at Ceres:
“We applaud the finalized EPA standards that will help ensure the U.S. is on track to achieve its climate goals. Stronger vehicle emission standards will reduce pollution, save lives and improve air quality across the country, especially in communities located near highways and busy roads, and bring significant economic benefits. These standards will position the U.S. to continue attracting investment to build and deploy clean vehicles and infrastructure with good-paying careers in communities across America. Going forward, Ceres is committed to working with the private sector, as well as state and federal policymakers, to accelerate the transition to zero-emission vehicles in the clean transportation future.”
Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Executive Director of the Children’s Environmental Health Network:
“American children across the country are facing the catastrophic impacts of climate change as well as the health impacts of tailpipe pollution. This is especially true for children in Black and brown communities and communities with lower wealth, who live or attend school or child care near highways and transportation hubs, and who are disproportionately exposed to additional sources of pollution. These children are hit first and worst by these exposures and by climate impacts, and they suffer severe health and economic impacts. With today’s adoption of final Cleaner Cars Standards, the EPA and the Biden Administration are providing another Solution for Pollution that will help protect our children and future generations.”
Ann Mesnikoff, Federal Legislative Director, Environmental Law & Policy Center:
“The Environmental Law & Policy Center welcomes the Biden administration’s new climate and air pollution standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles as an essential step toward slashing the emissions driving the climate crisis and harming public health. We are already seeing the impacts of a changing climate across the Great Lakes region and air pollution from transportation continues to impact communities. These new standards for light and medium-duty vehicles for model years 2027 to 2032 continue to move us toward pollution-free vehicles, from cars to SUVs to pickups and delivery vans. EPA’s new strong standards will ensure new car buyers in those years will have increasingly cleaner choices that will also save them money, cut demand for oil, and lead to a safer climate and cleaner air for communities. We need strong actions to protect the climate and avert the worst-case scientific assessments. Climate simply cannot wait. We appreciate the importance of these standards given that transportation is the largest source of climate pollution, however, we must also take a bolder approach to reducing pollution from transportation through robust investments in passenger rail and public transit, and safe biking and walking. We also look forward to EPA issuing strong greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty trucks and power plants. These rules, along with new standards for methane pollution from the oil and gas industry, will together help deliver important climate action.”
Members of Congress
Senator Debbie Stabenow (MI):
“I’ve always said Michigan automakers are the best in the world. And this is their moment. I appreciate EPA’s commitment to engaging with our automakers and autoworkers to develop an ambitious but achievable final rule. It represents an opportunity for union workers to continue to build the vehicles of the future right here in the U.S. and tackle the climate crisis.”
Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-06):
“My priority will always be to protect American jobs and our environment, keep the United States at the forefront of automotive manufacturing, technology, and innovation, and keep our domestic industry strong and competitive. The EPA has worked with all stakeholders to reach this final rule that includes hybrid and electric vehicles, and ensure these goals are achievable. It’s important to protect vehicle choice – the number of available models has doubled in the last three years, and in the last year sticker prices are down 20%. We need to continue to work on making sure that these vehicles are affordable to everyone, that we have the infrastructure in place to make them accessible and practical for consumers, and bring jobs back to the U.S. The bottom line is that the future of the industry must be created in America and driven by American workers, and we are all committed to working together toward that future.”