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The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced approval of its Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) rule on August 25, 2022. The rule establishes a year-by-year road map so that by 2035, 100% of new cars and light trucks sold in California will be zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs), including plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The regulation realizes […]
In a steady march toward a carbonless future, the Biden administration continues to take actions to push industry and consumers into making choices that use less fossil fuel. On June 21, 2022, the EPA released a regulatory update advising it plans to propose tougher emissions standards through at least 2030 vehicle model years by March […]
On March 9, 2022, the Biden administration EPA announced it is reinstating the “California Waiver,” which provides the Golden State with its regulatory authority to set more stringent fuel efficiency and vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards. This decision reverses the previous administration’s action that had removed this authority. “Today, we proudly reaffirm California’s longstanding […]
New York has passed legislation to ban the sale or lease of new gas-powered cars and trucks in the state beginning in 2035. Governor Kathy Hochul signed Assembly Bill A4302/S2758 into law on September 8. The law set the goal for the state to require zero emissions for any new cars, trucks, off-road vehicles, and […]
The EPA on August 5 announced proposed rulemaking regarding stronger greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks through model year (MY) 2026. The proposal also outlines the Agency’s plans for subsequent rulemakings for standards for MY 2027 and beyond. Additionally, the Agency announced upcoming rulemaking to address stricter emissions standards for […]
In December 2020, the EPA issued an Enforcement Alert regarding aftermarket defeat devices that “bypass or render inoperative required emissions control systems, resulting in significant increases in harmful air emissions” from motor vehicles and nonroad equipment.
The EPA’s Air Enforcement Division (AED) released a study revealing that as many as 500,000 diesel pickup trucks have had emissions controls removed within the last decade. Tampering with these emissions control devices is estimated to produce “more than 570,000 tons of excess oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 5,000 tons of particulate matter (PM)” in […]
On September 23, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an Executive Order mandating that all new passenger trucks and cars sold in the state be emissions-free by 2035. Symbolically, the order was signed on the hood of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with electric vehicles (EVs) manufactured by Honda, Audi, and Tesla in the background.
On May 27, 2020, 23 attorneys general and a handful of city attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient Vehicles (SAFE) rules revising extant fuel efficiency and emissions standards for passenger vehicles. SAFE effectively undoes President Barack Obama’s 2010 Clean Car Standards (CCS), which set forth aggressive fuel economy and greenhouse […]
In June 2019, the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance announced its six National Compliance Initiatives (NCIs) for fiscal years 2020 through 2023. Before the Trump administration, the Agency referred to this program as its National Enforcement Initiatives. Regardless of the title, the program identifies sectors or types of activities that are in need […]