Wednesday, October 23

High oil lobbyist blasts Biden’s ‘de facto ban’ on gas-powered autos

The main lobbying group for the oil and pure gasoline business on Wednesday joined the record of critics formally opposing the Biden administration’s bold electrical automobile targets that it hopes to attain by way of a proposed rule on lowering autos’ greenhouse gasoline emissions.

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing such stringent emissions-slashing for light- and medium-duty autos that it will drive automakers’ gross sales to be 60% electrical by 2030 and 67% EV by 2032 — a “de facto ban” on inside combustion engines, the American Petroleum Institute stated in feedback submitted to the EPA.

“We support technology-neutral federal policies that drive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in the transportation sector, but this proposal seriously misses the mark,” API President and CEO Mike Sommers stated. “While not an explicit ban on internal combustion engines, this proposal is a de facto ban that will eliminate competition, distort the market and restrict consumer choice, while being potentially more costly to taxpayers.”



The Clean Air Act proposal is a part of President Biden’s agenda to fight local weather change and has been met with skepticism about its feasibility from automakers, business analysts and congressional Republicans.

The emissions rule, if finalized and put in force, would apply to mannequin years 2027-2032.

The criticism comes after the U.S. auto business’s high commerce group, Alliance for Automotive Innovation, final week stated that the proposal was “out of whack” and “neither reasonable nor achievable in the timeframe provided.” AAI represents main automakers corresponding to General Motors, Volkswagen, Ford, BMW, Toyota, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz.

AAI in a memo to the EPA gave the company strategies, together with to not write off plug-in hybrids; to not overlook main hurdles like public charging stations, entry to important minerals for batteries and grid reliability; and to not drive automakers to take their focus away from EVs to fulfill stricter necessities for gas-powered autos.

Mr. Sommers additionally advised the EPA it ought to take different measures to cut back automobile emissions, corresponding to adopting a extra “technology-neutral approach” that encompasses total emissions from each gas and the automobile relatively than solely tailpipe emissions. He additionally beneficial establishing an business readiness evaluation previous to implementation and a program assessment as soon as it begins.

In different phrases, Mr. Sommers stated the EPA was failing to correctly consider the emissions related to EVs, such because the important mineral mining wanted for EV batteries and the necessity for better electrical energy era. 

“EPA has largely ignored fuel and vehicle-based options that could better accomplish the agency’s objectives to expeditiously achieve greater transportation sector-related emission reductions from the entire vehicle fleet (both new and in-use) at lower cost,” Mr. Sommers stated. “Meaningful carbon emission reductions are achievable sooner, and potentially at lower cost, via the use of proven and available technology in liquid fuels.”

Content Source: www.washingtontimes.com