Over the weekend, media reports have surfaced that the Biden Administration might loosen its rules for the country’s switch to electric vehicles. You may remember that last year the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed strict tailpipe emissions standards that would effectively force manufacturers to sell mostly zero-emissions vehicles by 2030.
A diverse set of stakeholders from vehicle manufacturers, labor unions and associations, like the Motorcycle Riders Foundation, each pushed back on the rush to electrify our transportation system. In December, the House of Representatives passed The Choice in Automobile Retail Sales (CARS) Act with bipartisan support. This act prohibits the EPA from implementing the proposed EPA tailpipe regulations. The Senate has not yet addressed the CARS Act.
The New York Times reports that the new regulations will slow the rate at which manufacturers must shift to zero-emissions vehicles. These changes would effectively push back deadlines. Later deadlines would allow the market for electric vehicles to develop more gradually, as opposed to forcing manufacturers to meet fast-approaching government-set deadlines.
If the reports are accurate, this marks an important, albeit slight, course correction in the attack on the internal combustion engine. Remember that the fight to protect the internal combustion engine is occurring on several fronts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is considering changes to the fuel economy standards, which could also handcuff manufacturers. Meanwhile, the State of California is using its unique position to set standards outside of those put in place by the federal government.
We should learn more about the EPA's plans this Spring. That is when the EPA is expected to announce tweaks to its regulations. Regardless, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation will stay vigilant In Washington, D.C., fighting to protect the internal combustion engine.
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