Biden's administration to launch a pivotal clean car rule

The Biden administration is poised to introduce regulation aiming to drastically cut emissions from cars and accelerate the shift to electric vehicles.

Jean Chemnick and Mike Lee report for POLITICO.

In short:

The upcoming regulation from the EPA focuses on reducing emissions from passenger cars, the primary source of U.S. carbon emissions.
By 2032, the rule expects electric vehicles to constitute about two-thirds of new car sales.
The regulation is part of broader efforts, including incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, to support the transition to electric vehicles.

Key quote:

"So let’s be clear that it’s a very, very modest change in carbon pollution."

— Manish Bapna, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund

Why this matters:

Reducing car emissions also means fewer pollutants like nitrogen oxides and particulates in the air. This leads to cleaner air, which has immediate health benefits for the population, reducing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

The “original sin” of air quality regulations is keeping communities polluted. But that’s changing.

www.politico.com

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Biden's administration to launch a pivotal clean car rule

Trump tariffs may raise U.S. wind energy prices and stall project growth

Shell’s offshore oil ships face ongoing safety problems years after massive Nigeria spill

Lawyers turn to pro bono work to drive climate solutions beyond the courtroom

Insurers warn climate change could unravel financial markets and endanger capitalism

Rising ground-level ozone pollution worsens with climate change, threatening health and crops

EPA funding cuts threaten smoke protection efforts in rural wildfire zones

EPA deregulation puts schoolchildren at risk in petrochemical zones

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.