EPA’s new auto emissions standard will speed the transition to cleaner cars, while also addressing consumer and industry concerns

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Alan Jenn, University of California, Davis

(THE CONVERSATION) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released strict new emissions limits on March 20, 2024, for cars built from 2027 through 2032. The final rule for Multi-Pollutant Emissions Standards caps a process that started almost a year earlier, when the Biden administration first proposed groundbreaking regulations that would essentially require automakers to make a substantial pivot toward electrification.

The original proposal met significant pushback from carmakers and unions, who argued that the industry needed more time to switch from gas-powered cars to EVs. As a result, while the final target that this rule sets is very similar to the one that was initially proposed, the timetable in the final rule – especially in the earlier years – is relatively relaxed.

That means more carbon emissions in the short run. Politics is inevitably an important consideration in regulating major industries.

The new rule is projected to cut carbon dioxide emissions from passenger cars by nearly 50% in model year 2032...