President Biden, left, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan. (Getty Images)
Under the new regulations, which will be formally announced at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., later on Wednesday afternoon, automakers will be forced to rapidly curb the emissions of greenhouse gases, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter from new passenger cars, light trucks, and larger pickups and vans beginning with model year 2027 vehicles.
According to administration officials, the regulations will help "tackle the climate crisis" by reducing the transportation sector's carbon dioxide emissions by a staggering 7.2 billion metric tons over the course of the program, which will be in effect through 2032. Officials also told reporters on a press call that the regulations would reduce the amount of oil consumed in the U.S. by billions of barrels within three decades.
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When the tailpipe emissions rules kick in, automakers will be compelled to increase production and sales of EVs, plug-in hybrids, traditional hybrids and fuel cell vehicles. Under one "low cost" model EPA outlined in the rule, officials said automakers would be forced to ensure 56% of light-duty car sales are battery electric and another 13% are hybrid by 2032.
The regulations represent a version of the so-called "alternative C" approach detailed in EPA's original proposal first publicized in April 2023. The White House originally projected last year that, under the rule, up to 67% of new vehicle sales would be battery electric by 2032, but after a lengthy public comment period and meetings with automakers and labor groups, it scaled down the regulations.
Even factoring in generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, according to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, while the average gas subcompact car costs $24,000. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
In addition to energy groups, a wide slate of industry groups representing farmers, consumers and auto dealers have similarly warned of the consequences of the EPA's regulations.
"This decision will not only severely hamper the administration’s ability to reach its own climate goals, but it will also hurt family farms and rural communities that rely heavily on the sale of biofuels. On top of that, it will remove consumer choice from the market," said National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle.
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According to the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, an industry group that represents major automakers, 9.3% of total car purchases in the U.S. last year were electric or plug-in hybrids – up from 7% in 2022. That uptick was driven largely by purchases in California and urban areas where the majority of EV purchases are made.
At the same time, EVs remain far more expensive than traditional, gas-powered cars. Even factoring in generous federal and state subsidies, the average cost of an EV is about $52,500, while the average subcompact car costs $24,000.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, recently led a letter of more than 130 Republican lawmakers calling on the Biden administration to back off EV mandates. (Rod Lamkey-Pool/Getty Images)
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., who, along with Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., introduced the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act in July, also ripped the regulations. The CARS Act, which would nix EPA's tailpipe regulations, passed in a House vote of 221-197 in December, but it has yet to receive a Senate floor vote.
"Top-down government edicts cannot change the demand of consumers overnight, yet this is exactly the Biden administration's plan," said Walberg. "This rule restricts the choices of American consumers and will price millions out of the market, eliminate American jobs, and forever link our auto industry with the Chinese Communist Party."
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Additionally, Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, both members of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, vowed to introduce new resolutions blocking the regulations finalized Wednesday. They said in a joint statement that the plan is "delusional" and would require an act of Congress to move forward.
Thomas Catenacci is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
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