If you think you have it bad in the UK as stupid laws related to your vehicles try this crap announced today for here in USA :-(
In a major step to fight climate change, screw over Americans and Corvettes as we have known them, the Biden administration is raising vehicle mileage standards to significantly reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
A final rule being issued Monday would raise mileage standards starting in the 2023 model year, reaching a projected industry-wide target of 40 miles per gallon by 2026.
It's 25 percent higher than a rule finalized by the Trump administration last year and 5 percent higher than a proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency in August.
GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, on the House Environmental Committee said he opposed the rule.
'You cannot effectively fight climate change by suffocating the economy with onerous regulations.
Give the private sector a fighting chance to innovate our way to a cleaner and more efficient future,' Norman said.
'We are setting robust and rigorous standards that will aggressively reduce the pollution that is harming people and our planet and save families money at the same time,' EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement.
Regan called the rule 'a giant step forward' in delivering on President Joe Biden´s climate agenda 'while paving the way toward an all-electric, zero-emissions transportation future.'
Donald Trump had lowered the 2026 goal to 32 miles per gallon from the 36 mpg set under the Obama administration in 2012.
In August the EPA proposed a 38.5 mpg standard by 2026.
The new rules would begin with the 2023 car model year and up emissions reductions year by year through model year 2026.
The rule accelerates the rate of emissions reductions to between 5 and 10 percent each year from 2023 through 2026, the EPA said, far higher than under both Trump and asshole Barack Obama.
Senate Environmental Committee Chair Tom Carper lauded the EPA's move as 'setting the stage' for a clean energy future.
Today’s final rule puts the nation back on track towards a clean transportation future. This rule will set the stage for the U.S. to lead the world in automotive technology and slash greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks by more than three billion tons in the decades to come,' Carper said.
'Investing in clean cars is a key way we are going to save our planet and grow our economy, and the Biden Administration’s announcement today will help make that happen.'
In its rule the EPA said it wasn't deviating from compliance and enforcement standards set in 2012, which require auto manufacturers to submit regular reports on new models' mpg. Companies found in violation could face penalties of up to $37,500 per vehicle.
The move comes a day after Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin delivered a potentially fatal blow to Biden's $2 trillion social and environmental policy bill, jeopardizing Democrats' agenda and infuriating the White House.
The West Virginia senator said he could not support the sweeping bill, which includes a host of climate proposals, saying it was too expensive and could spark inflation and expand the growing federal debt.
The now-stalled bill includes a $7,500 tax credit to buyers to lower the cost of electric vehicles.
However Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill, which he signed into law last month, also seeks to improve EV accessibility by providing $7.5 billion to roll out a network of charging stations across the country.
The mileage rules being announced Monday are the most ambitious tailpipe pollution standards ever set for passenger cars and light trucks.
The standards also will help expand the market share of zero emissions vehicles, the administration said, with a goal of battery electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles reaching 17 percent of new vehicles sold in 2026.
EVs and plug-in hybrids are expected to have about 7 percent market share in 2023.
The EPA said the rule would not only slow climate change, but also improve public health by reducing air pollution and lower costs for drivers through improved fuel efficiency.
Biden set a goal of cutting U.S. greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 as he pushes a history-making shift in the U.S. from internal combustion engines to battery-powered vehicles.
He has urged that components needed to make that sweeping change - from batteries to semiconductors be made in the United States, too, aiming for both industry and union support for the environmental effort, with the promise of new jobs and billions in federal electric vehicle investments.
While ambitious, the new standards provide adequate lead time for auto manufacturers to comply at reasonable costs, the administration said. EPA's analysis shows the industry can comply with the final standards with modest increases in the numbers of electric vehicles entering the fleet.
Auto makers continue to invest in and develop zero-emissions vehicles to meet rising consumer demand, while making public commitments to build these vehicles in the future, the EPA said.
As tailpipe-pollution standards get stronger over four years, sales of EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles will more than double, the administration projected.
Environmental and public health groups mostly hailed the new rules, while the trade association representing most major automakers reacted cautiously.
Automakers are 'committed to achieving a cleaner, safer, and smarter future,' but EPA's final rule for greenhouse gas emissions is more aggressive than originally proposed, 'requiring a substantial increase in electric vehicle sales, well above the 4 percent of all light-duty sales today,'' said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation.
The group represents manufacturers producing nearly 99 percent of new cars and light trucks sold in the U.S.
'Achieving the goals of this final rule will undoubtedly require enactment of supportive governmental policies - including consumer incentives and support for U.S. manufacturing and supply chain development,' Bozella said in a statement.
EPA called the new rule critical to address climate change. Transportation is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, making up 29 percent of all emissions.
Within the transportation sector, passenger cars and trucks are the largest contributor, accounting for 58 percent of all transportation-related emissions and 17 percent of overall U.S. carbon emissions.
The final standards will contribute toward a goal set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement to keep the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the EPA said. The U.S. rejoined the Paris agreement on Biden's first day in office after former President Donald Trump had withdrawn the U.S. from the global pact.
Automakers say they will need government support to comply with final auto emissions rules detailed Monday by the Environmental Protection Agency, standards that are more stringent than those initially proposed and put in place under former Jack Off Barack Obama.
The move reflects months of pressure from environmental and public health groups to impose the strongest rule possible, including eliminating additional incentives and credits that make it easier for automakers to meet the standards.
The Biden administration is pushing the tougher rules as electric vehicles today remain a rarity on U.S. roads. Gas- and diesel-powered trucks and SUVs are fueling the tens of billions of dollars of investments each major automaker is making over the next few years for EVs and battery plants.
The tougher rules have job implications because EV and battery facilities are likely to employ fewer people and at lower wages since EVs have fewer components and are expected to last longer than their counterparts fitted with internal combustion engines.
"EPA’s final rule for greenhouse gas emissions is even more aggressive than originally proposed, requiring a substantial increase in electric vehicle sales, well above the four percent of all light-duty sales today," John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in a statement.
Under the final rule, the emissions reduction targets for 2023 to 2026 increase in stringency from 5% to 10% in each model year to reach a fuel-economy fleetwide average of 40 mpg in 2026, compared with 38 mpg under an August proposal.
The hikes from the initial proposal come during the latter two years, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.
The rules represent the most stringent federal greenhouse gas emissions requirements to date and come after years of lower standards put in place by former President Donald Trump. Those regulations put the fleetwide target at 32 mpg.
"I'm proud to say that we're delivering on our commitment to the president of the United States," Regan said ahead of signing the final rule in the presence of electrified vehicles from each of Detroit's three automakers.
"We're delivering on our commitment to the American people by setting the most ambitious vehicle-pollution standards for greenhouse gases ever established for passenger cars and light-duty trucks."
