By Clark Mindock
(Reuters) – Twenty-five Republican-led states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday to block rules aimed at reducing planet-warming emissions from cars and trucks and encouraging the manufacturing of electric vehicles, the U.S. attorney general said. Kentucky, arguing that the agency exceeded its legal authority.
The lawsuit challenging the passenger vehicle regulations was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by states including Kentucky, Florida and West Virginia. States have said the rules amount to an attempt by President Joe Biden's administration to inappropriately transform the U.S. passenger vehicle market through strict rules that make it difficult for manufacturers not to go electric.
The EPA rules, finalized March 20, aim to reduce tailpipe emissions from the entire car and truck fleet by nearly 50% from 2026 levels in 2032, and reduce tailpipe emissions. greenhouse effect by 7.2 billion tons by 2055.
The EPA has forecast that between 35% and 56% of new vehicles sold between 2030 and 2032 would be electric under the rules, a range that reflects the flexibility the EPA says automakers have in applying different driving technologies. pollution reduction.
Republican state attorneys general during the public comment period before the rules were finalized had said they go far beyond the EPA's authority under the landmark anti-pollution law called the Clean Air Act, and amounted to a “top-down attempt.” down to restructure the automobile industry.”
The EPA regulations are among the most important environmental rules implemented under Biden, who has made combating climate change a key pillar of his presidency.
After resistance from auto workers and the auto industry, the final version of the regulations was scaled back from an earlier proposal to give automakers more flexibility to meet emissions reduction targets. The EPA gave automakers more freedom to meet emissions standards with gas-electric hybrids, which many environmentalists have opposed as a half-measure that slows the transition to electric vehicles.
The EPA said the final rule reduces emissions by 49% by 2032 from 2026 levels, compared to 56% in its previous plan. EPA chief Michael Regan said the rule imposes “no mandate” on manufacturers to adopt electric vehicles.
On March 29, the agency separately said it was finalizing stricter tailpipe emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles like semi-trucks and buses, but those regulations were not part of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is the latest example of Republican attorneys general turning to the courts to challenge various aspects of the Biden administration's climate agenda.
Republican-led states have also challenged the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's corporate climate disclosure rules, the U.S. Department of Energy's pause on approving new smoothie export facilities, and EPA rules. that tighten standards for air pollution, among other things.
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