Biden reverses Trump with tougher car pollution standards – Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON
President Biden unveiled plans Thursday to strengthen car pollution standards through 2026, putting the United States on a path to reduce greenhouse gas emissions though not as quickly as many environmentalists say is needed.
The proposed standards, written by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department, would replace significantly weaker Trump-era rules that essentially undid the nations biggest climate change initiative. In their place, the Biden administration is offering a compromise that it hopes progressives can live with and automakers can follow.
The president also signed an executive order that encourages automakers to produce more zero-emissions vehicles and sets a new goal of making half of all new cars and trucks emissions-free by 2030. This would include battery-electric, plug-in hybrid electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
The future is electric, Biden said to supporters gathered Thursday on the South Lawn of the White House, with several electric vehicles, including Fords F-150 Lightning, as a backdrop. Theres no turning back, he said. The question is whether well lead or fall behind in the race for the future.
After signing the order, the president took an electric Jeep Wrangler for a drive around the White House.
Bidens proposal would tighten pollution standards over a four-year period, beginning with cars coming off the production line in the fall of 2022.
His plan is not expected to cut emissions as significantly as the standards put in place by the Obama administration nearly a decade ago, which required automakers to increase fuel efficiency across their fleets by 5% a year, achieving an average of 54.5 miles per gallon by model year 2025.
But the new targets would greatly exceed those set under former President Trump, who weakened the standards to mandate annual fuel efficiency increases of 1.5%, a level that automakers had already shown they could achieve without regulation. Under his rules, automakers had to reach an average efficiency of about 40 miles per gallon by 2026.
Biden administration officials said the new rule would require car companies to manufacture vehicles with an average efficiency of 52 miles per gallon by model year 2026.
In the first year of the regulation, carmakers would have to cut their emissions by 10% more than the Trump rules required. They would then have to make 5% reductions each year thereafter.
Administration officials said the rule would save drivers money at the pump and would decrease gasoline consumption by about 200 billion gallons over the four years. They estimated the standards would prevent an additional 2 billion metric tons of climate-warming carbon pollution from being released into the atmosphere.
The proposal postpones battles over how much to restrict tailpipe pollution in 2027 and beyond. In the executive order the president signed Thursday, he directed agencies to begin work on the next set of standards.
It remains unclear whether the auto industry will support the newly proposed standards.
John Bozzella, chief executive of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry lobby group, said in a statement that automakers would work with the administration to evaluate its plan, and called on Congress and state legislatures to invest in the infrastructure needed for the increase in electric vehicles.
In a joint statement, Ford, General Motors and Stellantis the result of Januarys merger of Fiat Chrysler and the French carmaker PSA declared their shared aspiration to make 40% to 50% of new vehicle sales electric by the end of the decade.
Environmental advocates cheered the Biden administrations pledge to toss out the Trump regulations. But many of those same activists said the administrations proposed replacement doesnt go far enough.
In a letter to the president last month, they called for a 60% cut to vehicle emissions by 2030, a goal that would be extremely difficult to meet under the administrations proposed pollution rules.
Having watched as automakers lobbied Trump to relax the aggressive Obama-era targets, environmentalists are wary of car companies promises to gradually phase out the internal combustion engine.
Todays proposal relies on unenforceable voluntary commitments from unreliable carmakers to make up to 50% of their fleets electric by 2030, said Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversitys Safe Climate Transport Campaign.
Global warming is burning forests, roasting the West and worsening storms. Now is not the time to propose weak standards and promise strong ones later, he said.
Becker and others said that auto companies already have the technology to meet tougher standards than those being proposed by the Biden administration, but that they rarely use it in the United States. Automakers have pushed back, arguing that theyre unable to meet stricter standards because of American consumers preference for larger, less fuel-efficient vehicles.
In recent years, some automakers have been able to meet federal standards not by producing fleets of cleaner cars, but by cashing in credits earned by manufacturing a much smaller number of electric vehicles.
The proposed regulations, which have been developed quickly by federal government standards, are a piece of the administrations broader efforts to push Americans to buy more electric vehicles. Biden has asked Congress for hundreds of billions of dollars to make the vehicles more affordable through tax credits, to electrify 20% of the nations school buses and to build half a million chargers by 2030.
Yet the bipartisan infrastructure bill making its way through Congress accomplishes very little of that. The current deal includes $7.5 billion for charging stations, which would pay for only half as many as Biden has called for.
At stake in that bill is the presidents ability to deliver on his promise of eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 to prevent the worst effects of climate change. Calculating backward, most environmentalists say the only way to meet that goal is to mandate that all new cars be emissions-free by 2035.
Read more:
Biden reverses Trump with tougher car pollution standards - Los Angeles Times
- From Barack Obama to Emmanuel Macron, global leaders hit by AI and deepfakes - The Indian Express - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Heres what Trump and Obama laughed and talked about at Jimmy Carters funeral, new book reveals - New York Post - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama: I learned this great parenting tip from my mom and dadthey did a 'beautiful job' modeling it - CNBC - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Trump Asked Obama This Surprising Question at Jimmy Carter's Funeral, New Book Claims - People.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama frets young women are not allowed the unearned confidence young men have - Fox News - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Barack Obama To Speak At The O2 London, 3Arena Dublin - Pollstar News - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- 'Telling the American story' Obama, Pence to speak at the Global Summit in Erie | Opinion - Erie Times-News - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Malia Obama Has the Bag Collection of My Dreams - Teen Vogue - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- This is what President Trump asked Obama at Jimmy Carters funeral, new book claims - PennLive.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- These 3 Words Help Teach Kids Critical Thinking, Say Michelle Obama (and Psychologists) - Inc.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Heres what smiling Trump, Obama really talked about at Carter funeral - SILive.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- What Obama, Trump Discussed During Viral Interaction Finally Revealed - Newsradio WTAM 1100 - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Details About Trump & Obama's Exchange At Jimmy Carter's Funeral Revealed - Black Information Network - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama on confidence gender gap: Men have it, even when they havent earned it - Washington Examiner - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- What Obama, Trump Discussed During Viral Interaction Finally Revealed - iHeart - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Obama directed intelligence communitys Trump-Russia witch hunt, CIA review reveals - BLiTZ - Fears None But God - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- What Trump really said to Obama as they were spotted laughing at Jimmy Carter's funeral finally revealed - UNILAD - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Letter to the Editor: Deporter-in-Chief? Thats Obama, not Trump - courierherald.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- 'Truth' behind Donald Trump and Barack Obama's friendly talk at Jimmy Carter's funeral as laughter stunned onlookers - The US Sun - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- What Donald Trump Said To Barack Obama At Jimmy Carter's Funeral - The Blast - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- We Finally Found Out What Trump And Obama Were Talking About At Jimmy Carter's Funeral - Yahoo - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- America Doesn't Like Trump: Obama and Even JD Vance are More Popular - thedailypoliticususa.com - July 10th, 2025 [July 10th, 2025]
- Barack Obama heads to the UK for talks - voice-online.co.uk - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama had to fight back tears during podcast. Heres why - PennLive - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Barack Obama to lift the lid on life in office in two live appearances - The Independent - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- FanDuel adds former Obama advisor and ex-NFL head to policy team - EGR North America - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Obama's scathing assessment of Biden's failed campaign revealed - Fox News - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- An Evening With Barack Obama Heading To Arenas In London And Dublin In September - Stereoboard.com - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- An Evening with President Barack Obama announced for London and Dublin - Mixtape Madness - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Former President Barack Obama to speak at Dublin event later this year - Hotpress - July 8th, 2025 [July 8th, 2025]
- Barack and Michelle Obama Say They're 'So Proud' of Daughter Malia on 27th Birthday: 'Keep Shining Bright, My Love' - People.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Steph Curry revealed what Barack Obama's golf game is like after playing with him and Jordan Spieth - The Golfing Gazette - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Barack and Michelle Obama Share Why They're "So Proud" of Malia on Her 27th Birthday - instyle.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama's new photo of Malia on her birthday leaves fans saying the same thing - hellomagazine.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Malia Obama celebrates her birthday on Fourth of July: Our favorite looks over the years - hola.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Your campaign is a mess: What incredulous Obama thought of Biden running again - Washington Examiner - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Malia Obama, Suri Cruise, Jennifer Garner, and more celebs wearing overalls - hola.com - July 6th, 2025 [July 6th, 2025]
- Bush, Obama and singer Bono fault Trumps gutting of USAID on agencys last day - Politico - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- USAID officially closes, attracting condemnation from Obama and Bush - BBC - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Mamdani campaign hires former Obama, Clinton spokesperson who wished death on Trump - New York Post - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Bush, Obama and singer Bono fault Trumps gutting of USAID on agencys last day - AP News - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- News - Mrs. Obama: Nation Must Step up Forever for Military Families - DVIDS - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- News - Obama: Wont Accept Budget That Shortchanges Readiness - DVIDS - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Malia Obama shows off her summer abs on the way to the gym in Los Angeles - HOLA - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Readers respond: Obama deal would have avoided Trump bombing - OregonLive.com - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Rubio hails end of USAID as Bush, Obama deplore cost in lives - France 24 - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Obama, Bush and Bono bid a fond farewell to USAID - Daily Kos - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Fmr. Obama Treasury Sec. concerned Zohran Mamdani will ruin NYC if elected mayor - Fox News - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Comments - Obama and Bush Team Up To Shred Trump Over USAID - The Bulwark - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- How Trump plays with new media says a lot about him as it did with FDR, Kennedy and Obama - The Conversation - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Obama Urges Americans to Pressure Reps to Reject Trump Megabill - The Rickey Smiley Morning Show - July 4th, 2025 [July 4th, 2025]
- Obama and Bush Unite in Rare Move Against Trump - The Daily Beast - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Bush, Obama and Bono Commend USAID Staff Members on Their Last Day - The New York Times - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Lucas: Obama and the Democrats paved the way for Irans nuclear program - Boston Herald - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Obama, Bush decry travesty of Trumps gutting of USAID on its last day - Al Jazeera - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Obama, Bush criticize Trump administration for gutting USAID - Washington Examiner - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- 10 Years Later: Looking Back On a Week That Shaped Our Country - Barack Obama Medium - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Bush, Obama and Bono bid farewell to USAID as 14m more deaths forecast without it - The Independent - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day - The Week - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- House Republicans call for investigation into Obama-appointed judge in Trump funding case - AOL.com - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Donald Trump's 'colossal mistake' BLASTED by Obama and Bush during surprise reunion that left Bono in tears - Daily Mail - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Physician Tina Shah, who served in Obama and Biden administrations, will challenge Kean in NJ-7 - New Jersey Globe - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Michelle Obama shares the three words her dying mother said that changed her outlook on life - TheGrio - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Michelle Obama's podcast puts her in limelight in new Trump era, but she's not coming to Democrats' rescue - Fox News - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Bush and Obama fault Trumps gutting of USAID on agencys last day - MSN - July 2nd, 2025 [July 2nd, 2025]
- Don Jr.: "Affirmative Action" is why Obama won Nobel, not Trump - CNN - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- A former Obama speechwriter learned to surf with his Joe Rogan-loving brother-in-law. Heres what happened next. - Inquirer.com - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- The key difference between Obama and Trump on immigration - Orange County Register - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama shares 4 words her mom said at the end of her life that stuck with her - NPR - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama Discusses Parental Pain After Malia Changes Her Last Name to Push Away From Her Parents - Yahoo - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama Emotionally Shares Impact of 3 Words from Her Dying Mother - MSN - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama Reveals the Four Dying Words from Her Mother That Changed the Way She Lives Her Life - parade.com - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama reveals why shes rarely seen with Barack - Yahoo - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- See the photos of Barack Obama School for Social Justice graduation ceremony - Lohud - June 29th, 2025 [June 29th, 2025]
- Viral video: Michelle Obama tears up while remembering her mother, reveals her take on death | Watch - Mint - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama says Barack Obama divorce rumor reactions are like 'the apocalypse' - USA Today - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- This week in whoppers: Former aide's 'anti-war' Obama fantasy, Nina Turner's ignorance on Iran's abuse of women and more - New York Post - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Obama and Biden sent American taxpayers' money to Iran...: White House reveals - WION - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Trump Jr Says Obama Getting Nobel Prize Over Father Is 'Affirmative Action' - Newsweek - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]
- Michelle Obama Gets Emotional Talking About the 3 Powerful Words Her Mom Said While Dying - People.com - June 28th, 2025 [June 28th, 2025]