EPA Tightens Vehicle Tailpipe Emission Limits
On December 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, in order to reduce climate-warming carbon dioxide pollution, it had finalized a regulation that tighten vehicle tailpipe emission limits.
The change will require U.S. vehicles to get an average of 55 miles per gallon of gasoline by 2026, the tightest standard ever imposed in the United States. That standard, which would apply to model years 2023 to 2026, would be a substantial increase from the 38 miles per gallon that is required today. The Biden administration said the reduction would prevent the release of 3.1 billion tons of carbon dioxide through 2050.
The change restores an Obama administration policy that called for automakers to hit an average of 51 miles per gallon by 2025. Under former President Donald Trump, the EPA had nullified that standard. According to The Hill, greenhouse gas emissions from transportation of all kinds comprise about 28 percent of emissions nationwide, making it the biggest emitter of any single sector.