The Biden administration’s goal of cutting in half greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 received a boost this week when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced proposed stricter emissions standards for cars and trucks, which are expected to encourage more people to switch to electric vehicles.
The standards include an industrywide average target for light-duty vehicles of 82 grams per mile of carbon dioxide in model year 2032, which would result in a 13% annual reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions. This target is based on a fleet of 40% cars and 60% trucks, according to the EPA. The average passenger vehicle emits about 404 grams of CO2 per mile, the EPA said.
The news was greeted with opposition from the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM), which sees other ways to reduce the nation’s carbon footprint from transportation.
“AFPM supports vehicles and transportation fuels continually moving toward greater efficiency and lower carbon intensity, which is possible through the deployment of carbon capture technology, renewable fuel expansion and more efficient refining processes,” said AFPM’s President and CEO Chet Thompson. “We also believe EPA’s choice to fixate on tailpipe emissions rather than full fuel and vehicle lifecycle is a huge error that will stymie investment and artificially cap the potential of carbon abatement for liquid fuels and vehicles on the road today.”