DETROIT (AP) 鈥� More than 4,700 auto dealerships across the United States urged President Joe Biden in a letter Thursday to halt the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to enforce stricter vehicle-pollution standards.
The missive comes just weeks before the agency鈥檚 expected ruling on its tailpipe-emissions proposal, which addresses both climate change and pollutants that are harmful to health.
It is the second letter that auto dealers have sent to the White House in two months on the EPA鈥檚 upcoming ruling, which could codify the , . The dealerships said Thursday that the Biden administration did not respond to their first letter sent on Nov. 28.
An EPA spokesperson said the agency cannot comment as the proposal is currently in the interagency review process.
鈥淧resident Biden is investing in a future that is made in America by American workers as we position the United States to lead the clean energy future," a White House spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. "More Americans are buying EVs every day鈥攚ith EV sales rising faster than traditional gas-powered cars鈥攁s the President鈥檚 Inflation Reduction Act makes EVs more affordable and helps Americans save money when driving.鈥�
With the world focused on trying to limit warming to no more than , the administration has an in half by 2030. Part of its focus is on the transportation sector, 58% of the emissions from which come from , according to the EPA. The regulation also limits hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter into the air. These emissions cause a host of health issues and disproportionately affect people who live near heavy traffic.
The EPA says its proposed regulations could mean that up to two out of every three vehicles sold in the U.S. are electric by 2032. That鈥檚 set two years ago.
The regulations, which impact light- and medium-duty vehicles beginning with the 2027 model year, could mean a 56% drop in projected greenhouse gas emissions from the fleet, relative to existing standards, avoiding nearly 7.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2055. They also reduce pollutants harmful to health by 60% from the existing standard by model year 2032.
Most automakers around the globe have pledged hundreds of billions of dollars to transition to all-electric new vehicle sales in the coming decade as momentum to address climate change builds. Last year, U.S. EV sales overall grew 47% to a record 1.2 million, according to Motorintelligence.com. EVs are seeing year-over-year growth, but only hit 7.6% of overall market share in 2023.
Given that, thousands of auto dealers say they won鈥檛 be able to meet the EPA鈥檚 stringent goals.
Nearly 4,000 dealerships of the nearly 17,000 franchised shops nationwide asked Biden to 鈥渢ap the brakes鈥� on the EPA proposal in the November letter, referring to the rules as an 鈥渆lectric vehicle mandate.鈥� to block the pollution limits and also called the rules a mandate.
In this week鈥檚 letter, the dealerships asked Biden to 鈥渉it the brakes鈥� entirely, citing several factors that they say indicate . The signers said the supply of EVs on dealer lots is twice that of internal combustion engine vehicles, and that at the rate the regulations would require.
鈥淚t is uncontestable that the combination of fewer tax incentives, a woefully inadequate charging infrastructure, and insufficient consumer demand makes the proposed electric vehicle mandate completely unrealistic,鈥� the letter says.
The EPA鈥檚 tailpipe-pollution limits wouldn鈥檛 require automakers to sell a specific number of EVs every year.
Automakers can meet EPA regulations not just through pure-electric vehicle sales, but also through a sales mix including hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, plus cleaner internal-combustion engine vehicles. The EPA has also said that the auto industry could employ widespread use of particulate filters, which mitigate the soot emitted from conventional gasoline-fueled engines.
鈥淚n order to stay on track to meeting overall climate policy goals that have been adopted by the country, I think it鈥檚 important to be aggressive in this sector where you have the technology, progress is being made, there鈥檚 momentum in markets," said Jessika Trancik, a professor in energy studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "This can be a really important part of the overall effort to reach 2030 and ultimately, 2050 emissions reduction targets.
鈥淭here are a number of different ways you can improve efficiencies and reduce emissions," Trancik added. But, 鈥淚f you want to meet those targets, fully electric vehicles are probably going to be a really important tool, at least in part, to allow for that because they do offer the greatest emissions cuts."
The EPA is also proposing regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and the government鈥檚 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has separately .
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, . Reach her at [email protected].
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The Associated Press鈥� climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP鈥檚 for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Alexa St. John, The Associated Press
