Automakers urge EPA to move quickly to rewrite vehicle pollution rules, back two-year delay

WASHINGTON — Major automakers are supporting a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposal to delay for two years the enforcement of a regulation requiring significant cuts in vehicle-related air pollution, while urging the agency to quickly rewrite the underlying rules.

The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing General Motors, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen, Ford, Stellantis, and Hyundai, said during a public hearing that the delay is necessary and called for a “reasonable, workable path forward” and “realistic and durable long-term standards.”

Environmental groups criticized the proposal, warning that delaying implementation would lead to higher rates of preventable illness and premature deaths due to increased pollution exposure.

The EPA estimated last month that postponing former President Joe Biden’s anti-pollution rule would save automakers about $1.7 billion. The proposal would delay compliance deadlines for light- and medium-duty vehicles, citing declining U.S. electric vehicle sales as a key factor making the original targets difficult to achieve.

The automaker group said the slowdown in EV sales has already resulted in billions of dollars in stranded investments across the industry.

In April 2024, the Biden administration finalized a rule requiring substantial reductions in so-called criteria pollutants from passenger and commercial vehicles covering model years 2027 through 2032.

Environmental Defense Fund fellow Rishab Jagetia said a two-year delay would result in billions of dollars in health-related damages, including increased cases of heart and lung disease and additional early deaths. “Vehicle standards save lives,” he said.

Under the Biden-era rule, light-duty vehicles would be required to cut emissions by 50% by 2032, while medium-duty vehicles would face a 58% reduction in six major pollutants: ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and lead.

The EPA estimated in 2024 that the rule would generate $13 billion in annual benefits from reduced emissions contributing to smog and soot formation.

The proposal comes as the Trump administration has taken a series of steps to roll back vehicle emissions regulations.

In February, it finalized the repeal of the “endangerment finding” for vehicles, a 2009 determination that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and underpin the EPA’s authority to regulate vehicle emissions.

In December, the Transportation Department also proposed easing fuel economy standards for model years 2022 to 2031, targeting an average of 34.5 miles per gallon by 2031, down from the previous 50.4 miles per gallon requirement. -Reporting by David Shepardson in WashingtonEditing by Bill Berkrot/Reuters