The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced it is taking action to terminate the Biden-Harris “electric vehicle (EV) mandate.” 

This includes reconsideration of the Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium Duty Vehicles regulation and the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty vehicles. 

An EPA press release says the rules impose more than $700 billion in regulatory and compliance costs, take away Americans’ ability to choose a safe and affordable vehicle, and increase the cost of living on all products that trucks deliver.

“The American auto industry has been hamstrung by the crushing regulatory regime of the last administration,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, says in the release. “As we reconsider nearly $1 trillion dollars of regulatory costs, we will abide by the rule of law to protect consumer choice and the environment.” 

The EPA also is reevaluating the 2022 Heavy-Duty Nitrous Oxide (NOx) rule. 

“‘Protecting and Bringing Back American Auto Jobs’ is Pillar 5 of Administrator Zeldin’s Powering the Great American Comeback initiative,” the release says. “President Trump and Administrator Zeldin are fulfilling their promise to bring back American auto jobs and invest in domestic manufacturing to revitalize a quintessential American industry.” 

The EPA’s actions are in conjunction with an executive order titled “Unleashing American Energy” signed by Trump on his first day of office, the release says. 

John Bozzella, Alliance for Automotive Innovation president and CEO, responded to the agency’s announcement in a press release. 

“It’s positive the new leadership at EPA intends to revisit current greenhouse gas emissions rules,” Bozzella said. “A balanced approach to emissions in the U.S. is key to preserving vehicle choice, keeping the industry globally competitive and in a position to support the country’s economic and national security in the years ahead. As we’ve said for a long time, the existing GHG rules are extremely challenging to achieve. Even in the best of circumstances, we called them the ‘ragged edge of achievable.’

“Just like we said when Secretary Duffy announced a review of the CAFE program in January because U.S. tailpipes are overseen by three federal agencies and multiple rules, any changes to EPA’s standards will have to be coordinated with the other emissions rules overseen by the Departments of Transportation and Energy.”

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