EPA moves to end electric vehicle mandate, citing relief for trucking industry and consumers

Earlier this week, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin said that the EPA has proposed to rescind the 2009 Endangerment Finding that has been used to justify over $1 trillion in regulations, including the Biden-Harris Administration’s electric vehicle mandate.

The EPA said that if this proposal is made official, it would repeal all resulting greenhouse gas emissions regulations for motor vehicles and engines, and subsequently reinstate consumer choice and give Americans the ability to purchase a safe and affordable car for their family while decreasing the cost of living on all products that trucks deliver. And it added that since the 2009 Endangerment Finding was issued, there has been sentiment that the American people and auto manufacturing have suffered from what it called significant uncertainties and massive costs related to general regulations of greenhouse gases from vehicles and trucks, noting that the  EPA is proposing to provide much needed certainty and regulatory relief, so companies can plan appropriately, and the American people can have affordable choices when deciding to buy a car. 

“With this proposal, the Trump EPA is proposing to end sixteen years of uncertainty for automakers and American consumers,” said Zeldin. “In our work so far, many stakeholders have told me that the Obama and Biden EPAs twisted the law, ignored precedent, and warped science to achieve their preferred ends and stick American families with hundreds of billions of dollars in hidden taxes every single year. We heard loud and clear the concern that EPA's GHG emissions standards themselves, not carbon dioxide which the Finding never assessed independently, was the real threat to Americans’ livelihoods. If finalized, rescinding the Endangerment Finding and resulting regulations would end $1 trillion or more in hidden taxes on American businesses and families.” 

The EPA’s announcement received a strong endorsement from the Clean Freight Coalition (CFC), a Washington, D.C.-based alliance of truck transportation stakeholders committed to a clean energy future for America’s trucking industry.

CFC Executive Director Jim Mullen said that his group appreciate President Trump and Administrator Zeldin for taking this critical step to rescind the Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas Phase 3 rule.

“The CFC members have consistently opposed the unattainable targets included in this rule that would cause tremendous harm to the trucking industry, jeopardize the supply chain and result in higher prices for goods across our country,” said Mullen. “The CFC supports all feasible and sustainable technologies that reduce trucking emissions. The rescission of GHG Phase 3 will allow the industry to develop and adopt the best technology to support the movement of our nation’s freight.”

The feasibility of the EPA GHG Phase 3 rule has caused great concern in the supply chain industry since it was finalized in March of 2024, according to Kevin Smith, President and CEO of Sustainable Supply Chain Consulting and CSCMP Chairman of the Board.

“The main issues are cost and readiness, especially in the years past 2030,” said Smith. “The EPA's insistence on moving to Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV's) by around 2050 has been viewed as arbitrary and overly ambitious. The trucking industry maintains that they have already made great strides in reducing emissions, but at considerable cost to purchase new equipment. This is already weighing on supply chains with tuckers and private fleet operators having to off-set costs of new equipment at the expense of the bottom line.”

What’s more, Smith observed that the uncertainty that sufficient infrastructure will be in place in time to coincide with the new rules is questionable. The reason for that, he said, is that EV's rely on a robust system of charging stations.

“There is no viable plan in place to ensure that a sufficient number of stations will exist to support the new rule,” he noted. “There is the question of whether the power grid will be able to support the increase in ZEVs. (Hydrogen is a distant dream at this point.)”

And from a supply chain perspective, Smith said that there are issues related to procuring enough critical metals like lithium for batteries and rare-earth minerals for countless associated applications.

“China controls over 70% of the critical mineral market,” he noted. “Things are OK right now with a recent agreement to continue shipping critical minerals. But what will happen if that deal falls apart? Costs will rise astronomically for companies trying to comply with the rule as it was written. It is economically and environmentally impossible to build the mining capability, infrastructure and processing capability necessary to replace our dependence on China. The things that China does to mine and process these critical elements is simply untenable for the EPA. We need more time, and/ or new, more cost-effective technology to address the environmental issues unless we want to see transportation prices escalate and critical supply chain companies go out of business.” 

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) applauded the ATA’s move, thanking President Trump and the EPA’s Zeldin in moving to take steps to eliminate the electric-truck mandate’s unachievable Greenhouse Gas Phase 3 emissions standards that, it said, have threatened to disrupt the supply chain and derail the trucking industry’s environmental progress.

“We commend President Trump and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking decisive action to rescind the disastrous GHG Phase 3 rule,” said ATA President & CEO Chris Spear. “This electric-truck mandate put the trucking industry on a path to economic ruin and would have crippled our supply chain, disrupted deliveries, and raised prices for American families and businesses. Moreover, it kicked innovation to the curb by discarding available technologies that can further drive down emissions at a fraction of the cost. For four decades, our industry has proven that we are committed to reducing emissions. The trucking industry supports cleaner, more efficient technologies, but we need policies rooted in real-world conditions. We thank the Trump Administration for returning us to a path of common sense, so that we can keep delivering for the American people as we continue to reduce our environmental impact.”

The ATA said that modern trucks produce 99% fewer nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter emissions than those on the road decades ago, with new trucks cutting carbon emissions by more than 40% compared to trucks manufactured in 2010—as a result, 60 of today’s trucks emit what just one truck did in 1988.  

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) President Fred Knupp blasted the EPA’s move, saying it proposes to eliminate some of its most vital tools to protect people from the pollution that causes climate change. 

“The Endangerment Finding is built on a rock-solid scientific foundation that has gotten even stronger over time. In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that climate-altering greenhouse gases are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act,” said Knupp. “In 2009, after evaluating a mountain of scientific evidence and considering extensive public input, EPA came to the inescapable conclusion that they endanger health and welfare. Since then, the body of scientific evidence supporting the Endangerment Finding has grown even larger and more compelling, and the Finding has supported commonsense solutions that reduce pollution, give us cleaner air, and protect our health and our jobs.

The Clean Car and Clean Truck Standards are among the most successful of those commonsense solutions. New passenger vehicles now emit much less climate pollution than they used to. The standards also reduce other types of pollution that cause premature deaths and heart and lung diseases, they help Americans save thousands of dollars on fuel and maintenance costs, and they support American manufacturing jobs. But now the Trump administration is trying to steer us away from all those benefits and toward dirtier, more dangerous, and more destructive air. EDF is intensely opposed to their attempt to erase the Endangerment Finding and the Clean Car and Clean Truck Standards. We will keep fighting for sound science, clean air, common sense and affordable climate solutions, and a better future for our children.”