After years of litigation, the Environmental Protection Agency restored and strengthened clean car standards for model years 2023 through 2026. The final standards are a strong step in the right direction, both undoing the damage of the previous administration and eclipsing the ambition of the Obama administration’s standards. The EPA didn’t do this on its own — it took dedicated advocacy from a coalition of environmental, health, faith, and consumer organizations that pushed the agency to go further than its earlier plans.
Transportation is the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S. and vehicle emissions pose a major threat to people’s health — especially in low-income communities and communities of color. Clean car standards are a critical tool to tackle the climate crisis and reduce dangerous air pollution in communities.
President Biden committed to bold action on climate and environmental justice, and the EPA met the moment with the near-term standards. That said, the work is just beginning. The EPA will soon begin work on the standards for model years 2027 through 2035, and we need the strongest possible standards to put the U.S. on a path to an all-electric, zero-emissions transportation future — and to meet President Biden’s goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030.
Cleaner cars are a win for the environment, public health, and our economy. Strong standards will reduce our dependence on oil, save drivers billions at the pump, and prevent thousands of premature deaths and billions in health care costs every year. They will drive innovation in the auto industry and create jobs building technology that cuts pollution.
We need you in this fight. Take a moment to thank the EPA for acting and call on it to accelerate its work on long-term standards that eliminate emissions from new cars and light-duty trucks by 2035.
