Under the rule, 56 percent of the new vehicles on the market in 2032 could be battery electric, while an additional 13 percent could be plug-in hybrids. Under this scenario, just 29 percent of cars would be gas-powered, while an additional 3 percent would be other hybrids.
Only 16 percent of new vehicle sales were electric and hybrid cars last year.
The rule is a cornerstone of the Biden administration’s climate agenda; the cars and other light-duty vehicles it regulates currently make up about 17 percent of U.S. planet-warming emissions. The rule also regulates medium-duty vehicles, including vans and pickup trucks.
But the regulation is expected to be highly contentious — with a proposed version last year garnering pushback from Republicans and industry, along with the auto workers union.
In the wake of the criticism, the administration made some changes to the rule, which covers vehicle model years 2027 through 2032 — slowing down the transition to EVs with less stringent requirements for some of the rule’s the earlier years.
For model year 2029 under the proposed rule, for example, 55 percent of vehicles were expected to be electric, and 45 percent were expected to be gas-powered, while the new rule has gas-powered cars making up 49 percent of sales that year.
Welcome to The Hill’s Energy & Environment newsletter, we’re Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk — keeping you up to speed on the policies impacting everything from oil and gas to new supply chains.
Texas and New Mexico faced off with the U.S. government in the nation’s highest court on Wednesday in the latest chapter of a decade-long dispute over the way water from the dwindling Rio Grande river is divided.
Two in three children under the age of six in Chicago are exposed to dangerous levels of lead in drinking water, according to research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.
It turns out Swifties really do know how to “Shake It Off.”
In July, a Western Washington University geology professor and seismologist found the singer’s shows in Seattle were on par with a 2.3 magnitude earthquake. At the time, it wasn’t clear if the fans or the sound systems caused the seismic activity.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Tuesday that top automaker Stellantis has agreed to abide by the Golden State’s strict emissions rules, regardless of decisions made by a future …
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing Thursday on President Biden's nominees to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The House Veteran's Affairs Committee will hold a hearing on the "Toxic Exposure Fund Improvement Act of 2024”
What We're Reading
News we've flagged from other outlets touching on energy issues, the environment and other topics:
Rat fur, arsenic and copper: the dangerous ingredients lacing US prison water (The Guardian)
Electronic waste has grown to record levels. Here’s why that’s a huge problem (CNN)
Virginia's air quality is expected to get worse (Axios)
The New York attorney general’s office urged a state appeals court to make former President Trump put up a full bond before pausing the multimillion-dollar judgment in his civil fraud case. Read more
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) pressured Republicans to name the specific crime they are accusing President Biden of as they proceed with their impeachment inquiry. Read more
