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Resource Library / Air Pollution / Cars and Trucks

House Letter Urging Biden Administration to Think Big on Fuel Economy and Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards, March 24, 2021

Letter

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Date: March 24, 2021

Description: Senator Markey and Representative Matsui, along with 79 members of Congress, sent letters to President Biden to address the importance of setting ambitious and achievable targets for the efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions reductions of passenger vehicles through 2025. The letters were supported by Moms Clean Air Force and several other groups, including the Union of Concerned Scientists, League of Conservation Voters, Zero Emission Transportation Association, Earthjustice, Green Latinos, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Center for Biological Diversity, Voices for Progress, Sierra Club, Hip Hop Caucus, Environmental Working Group, Elected Officials to Protect America, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and Interfaith Power & Light.

To:The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
President of the United States
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20500

CC: John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate; Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor; Ali Zaidi, Deputy White House National Climate Advisor; Michael Regan, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator; Peter Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation.

Dear President Biden:

Thank you for your successful efforts to enact the American Rescue Plan and contain the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to working together again soon to advance recovery and rebuild our country stronger. Like you, we believe that tackling the climate crisis and investing in our communities, workers, and clean industries is critical to our country’s economic, public health, and environmental future. We stand alongside this administration’s efforts to meet this unprecedented challenge head-on and move forward with the strong actions necessary to protect our communities and benefit generations to come.

According to the most recent United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) report, 2021 is a pivotal turning point to confront the global climate emergency. The report is a red alert for our planet. It shows that global efforts are nowhere close to the level of ambition needed to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees and avoid the most catastrophic effects of the climate crisis1. Considering these pressing calls for governments worldwide to double down on climate efforts this year, our nation must take quick and aggressive action to combat greenhouse gas emissions. As the largest source of U.S. carbon pollution, addressing transportation sector emissions through strong light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards is a critical part of achieving our climate goals and obligations under the Paris agreement. Efforts to address these emissions will also signal to the rest of the world that the U.S. is again a leader in the global fight to fend off the most severe impacts of climate change.

Further, with more than half a million COVID-19 deaths in our nation and communities of color and low-wealth populations bearing the brunt of this pandemic, it is more vital than ever to prioritize pollution reduction on roads and clean air for everyone, especially for communities that have historically suffered from disproportionate air pollution and, subsequently, higher rates of respiratory illnesses.

Unfortunately, the last administration dismantled the progress made under the Obama-Biden Administration on fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission policies, which led some Members of Congress to fight to codify the Obama-Biden standards through the Clean and Efficient Cars Act. We applaud your Day One Executive Order to expeditiously review and reissue new standards and reaffirm our commitment to enact ambitious rules. For these reasons, we believe the Administration should, at minimum, reinstate the California Clean Air Act waiver and restore the Obama-Biden greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards. Since the establishment of these standards, technological progress has made it easier to meet or even exceed them, which is why we believe the Obama-Biden standards should serve as the baseline for vehicles sold through 2026 and embolden the next set of more ambitious standards that will move us towards our shared goal of transitioning the fleet to zero-emission vehicles.

As you look forward, we also believe you should set ambitious post-2026 standards that put us on the path to having all light-duty vehicles be zero-emission by 2035. Setting a standard that ensures that 60 percent of the new passenger cars and trucks sold are zero-emission by 2030 will ensure the market starts shifting immediately, making that goal attainable.

The world is already moving towards the inevitability of a zero-emission transportation future. Our country’s biggest economic competitors—including China and the European Union—are moving rapidly to create robust domestic electric vehicle manufacturing bases and encourage increased consumer adoption. Further, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, our communities cannot continue to suffer from the health effects of transportation emissions, especially those most vulnerable to toxic air pollution. By implementing ambitious yet achievable standards, you will send a clear signal to automakers to undertake the planning and investment necessary to re- establish the country as a global leader in clean transportation and reaffirm your commitment to the protection of communities nationwide. We stand ready to help you race forward in this critical effort.

Sincerely,
Doris Matsui, Member of Congress
Gwen S. Moore, Member of Congress
Emanuel Cleaver, II, Member of Congress
Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Member of Congress
Grace F. Napolitano, Member of Congress
John Garamendi, Member of Congress
Jimmy Gomez, Member of Congress
Earl Blumenauer, Member of Congress
Jamie Raskin, Member of Congress
Peter Welch, Member of Congress
Suzanne Bonamici, Member of Congress
Eleanor Holmes Norton, Member of Congress
Adriano Espaillat, Member of Congress
Rashida Tlaib, Member of Congress
Mark Takano, Member of Congress
Yvette D. Clarke, Member of Congress
Barbara Lee, Member of Congress
Alan Lowenthal, Member of Congress
Mondaire Jones, Member of Congress
Raúl M. Grijalva, Member of Congress
Bill Foster, Member of Congress

Read the full letter.

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