The Environmental Protection Agency finalized new emission standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles that are model years 2027 and beyond.
Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles was announced March 20, 2024 and sets new, more protective standards to further reduce harmful air pollutant emissions from light-duty and medium-duty vehicles starting with model year 2027. The final rule builds upon EPA’s final standards for federal greenhouse gas emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2023 through 2026 and leverages advances in clean car technology to unlock benefits to Americans ranging from improving public health through reducing smog- and soot-forming pollution from vehicles, to reducing climate pollution, to saving drivers money through reduced fuel and maintenance costs. The standards will phase in over model years 2027 through 2032.
Leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko, Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer of Virginia, Matt Cartwright, Sean Casten, Chellie Pingree, and Katie Porter, and Chair Emeritus Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia praised the finalization of the new emission standards.
“Today represents another historic step forward for America in achieving our right to breathe clean air and securing a habitable planet for generations to come. Building upon decades of progress under the Clean Air Act, EPA’s new light-duty and medium-duty vehicle standards reflect the transitioning American automobile market that is boosting our economy and delivering clean and affordable transportation to American households,” SEEC leaders said in a statement Wednesday.
The American clean vehicle revolution is underway thanks to the SEEC’s historic investments through the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Under the leadership of the Biden Administration, America has seen a quadrupling of electric vehicle (EV) sales, a more than 40 percent increase in public EV chargers, and billions of dollars in private investments for domestic EV and battery manufacturing. Our manufacturers are willing and ready to meet the challenge in delivering a clean future for all Americans.”
The SEEC is a coalition of 96 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, founded in January 2009, to be a focused, active and effective coalition for advancing policies that address climate change, promote clean energy innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create family-sustaining clean jobs, protect our nation’s air, water, and natural environment, and promote environmental justice.
“EPA’s new emission standards for light-duty and medium-duty vehicles model years 2027 and onward ensure that we maintain this monumental progress. These standards are expected to deliver $13 billion in public health benefits annually, reduce planet warming pollution by more than half for passenger vehicles, save American consumers $6,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle, all while driving innovation and technological advancement in a competitive global EV market.”
The SEEC stands with the EPA and the Biden Administration to renew its commitment “to the American people that we will continue to protect our communities from harmful tailpipe pollution; that we will support American clean vehicle manufacturing and jobs; and that we will tackle the climate crisis. All Americans will benefit from a clean, affordable, and sustainable transportation future, and we are just getting started.”