“WASHINGTON Major US and international manufacturers approved the EPA’s new stricter car emissions requirements on Wednesday, despite legal challenges by several states and ethanol organisations.
Texas and 15 other states have challenged the EPA’s auto emissions standards that overturn former President Donald Trump’s tailpipe restrictions.
In a court brief, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation claimed the EPA regulation “would test the industry” but gives manufacturers “critically needed flexibility.”
Automakers want to keep “important regulatory protections supporting electric car technology.”
The American Fuel And Petrochemical Manufacturers, among others, join the states. The new EPA guidelines adjusting pollution restrictions through 2026 “essentially force the manufacturing and sale of electric automobiles rather than cars powered by internal combustion engines,” corn farmers and ethanol producers claimed.
Ohio, Alabama, Arkansas, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Utah joined the challenge. Arizona also filed a lawsuit.
GM, VW, Toyota, Hyundai, and Chrysler parent Stellantis claimed in a court statement that “Regulators must be stable throughout change. … (automakers) may confront stranded investments and planning uncertainties if the litigation’s conclusion is unknown.”
The new standards, which take effect in September, seek a 28.3% decrease in car emissions until 2026.
The NHTSA will disclose its final parallel Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulation changes through 2026 on Friday, Reuters reported. Sunday, NHTSA announced a substantial increase in penalty for manufacturers that fail to fulfil regulatory criteria.