The Biden administration is moving quickly to rewrite Trump-era regulations on fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions. New Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan told Bloomberg, “We need to go as far as we can to meet the demands of the day. The science indicates we have a short window in time to reverse the path that we’re on and mitigate against certain climate impacts.”
He expects to propose new fuel economy and tailpipe emissions regulations by early July.
There is no one fuel economy requirement for each car. Instead, automakers meet standards using the average fuel economy of all the cars they sell. The Obama administration sought to increase vehicle efficiency by five percent per year to 54 mpg by 2025. The Trump administration rules lower both figures, requiring a 1.5 percent annual improvement, with a 40.4 mpg target by 2026.
Biden’s administration pledges to return to a more aggressive set of goals, but precise numbers remain in question.
Further complicating matters, California sets its own emissions standards, which 14 other states and the District of Columbia also follow. Some automakers have chosen to meet California’s stricter standards for their entire fleets. Others joined the Trump administration in a lawsuit attempting to block the state’s right to set its own rules but later withdrew their participation.
Regan says the Biden administration will not attempt to stop California from enforcing its own targets. “I’m a firm believer in the state’s statutory authority to lead, in California being the leader,” he told reporters.
