Commentary: Too Clever by Half – EPA’s De-Facto Electric Vehicle Mandate
Heartland Author
April 19, 2023
By Marlo Lewis
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new, greenhouse gas (GHG) emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles. The standards would increase in stringency each year during model years (MYs) 2027-2032. The GHG standards are calibrated in grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per mile. By MY 2032, the proposed light-duty vehicle (passenger car and light truck) standards are projected to reduce fleet-average GHG emissions by 56 percent compared to the existing MY 2026 standards adopted in 2021. According to the agency’s press release, electric vehicles could account for 67 percent of all new light-duty sales in MY 2032, compared to 8.4 percent in 2022.
Although the EPA’s proposal is ostensibly “technology neutral,” it is a de-facto vehicle electrification mandate, because dramatically increasing the market shares of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) is the most feasible and affordable way to comply with the aggressive new standards.
A great deal could be said at this point about the cost and inconvenience the regulatory suppression of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles will impose on consumers and the economy. My concern in this post is whether the EPA’s proposal is even legal. It is not, as explained below.
https://heartlanddailynews.com/2023/04/commentary-too-clever-by-half-epas-de-facto-electric-vehicle-mandate/
