Biden administration considers slowing key emissions rules as potential blow to electric vehicle development

(CNN) — The Biden administration is considering relaxing strict vehicle emissions rules proposed last year, which would give automakers more time to meet requirements that would allow them to sell more electric vehicles, according to two sources familiar with the plan.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) vehicle emissions regulations are a key element of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda. Biden has made the transition to electric vehicles a signature theme of his presidency, highlighting the economic impacts in addition to boosting the climate.

Instead of a previously proposed rule, which would have sharply increased the number of electric vehicles sold to meet strict emissions requirements, the EPA is considering delaying these requirements until after 2030, two of the people said. The EPA rule has not yet been finalized and is expected to be published this spring.

However, a source familiar with the plan said the EPA’s emissions rule would ultimately reduce emissions by about the same amount as the original proposal; It will do so gradually and initially provide more flexibility to automakers.

When they unveiled their proposed vehicle emissions rule last April, EPA officials said they were considering several different emissions proposals that could result in EV adoption by the beginning of the next decade, starting with model year 2027 vehicles. The rate can be between 64% and 69%. ,

The New York Times first reported that the EPA was considering the change. An EPA spokesperson did not immediately respond to CNN’s request for comment.

A senior White House climate official highlighted Biden’s commitment to the transition to electric vehicles.

“We are harnessing the power of smart investments and standards to ensure that American workers lead the global auto sector, not follow it,” White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi said in a statement. “President Biden continues to lead us forward, accelerating America’s leadership in this technology that is critical to our economy and environment.”

But some advocates criticized the move as a concession to automakers, saying it reflects the reality that traditional U.S. automakers lag far behind Chinese electric vehicle companies like Tesla and BYD.

Automakers are “pretty much against the rules,” Dan Baker, director of the climate-safe transportation campaign at the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity, told CNN in an interview. “They were working hard to make electric vehicles and now they’re trying to drive it in the opposite direction as fast as they can. “They’re trying to squeeze the last bit of profit out of gas guzzling vehicles.”

The United Auto Workers union, a prominent group that recently endorsed Biden for president in 2024, has long warned about what the shift to electric vehicles means for its workers. And former President Donald Trump has criticized electric vehicles in speeches as he seeks to become the Republican presidential nominee.