Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N), the largest oil trade group in the country, filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday to stop the Biden administration from reducing car and light truck emissions that contribute to global warming and encouraging the production of electric vehicles.
The U.S. In March, the Environmental Protection Agency issued new tailpipe emission regulations that will require automobile manufacturers to produce and sell more electric vehicles in order to meet the new requirements. Between 2030 and 2032, the administration projects that up to 56% of all car sales will be electric under the rule.
According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), a regulation issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will eliminate the majority of new gas cars and conventional hybrids from the market in the United States in less than a decade.
API Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ryan Meyers stated, “Today, we are taking action to protect American consumers, U.S. manufacturing workers, and our nation’s hard-won energy security from this intrusive government mandate.” On Thursday, the lawsuit was filed in the D.C. Appeals Court for the Circuit. The EPA refused to comment, citing a policy that prohibits discussing pending litigation in public.
The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Corn Growers Association will join API as co-petitioners, as will six car dealerships representing 16 brands and operating dozens of dealerships nationwide. Gas-powered automobiles provide support for the corn-ethanol industry for the two farm groups.
Harold Wolle, president of the National Corn Growers Association and a farmer in Minnesota, stated, “By approving tailpipe standards that focus exclusively on electric vehicles, EPA has ignored the proven benefits corn ethanol plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change.”
In April, conservative lawyers general from 25 states sued the EPA to hinder similar principles. Under President Joe Biden, who has made addressing climate change a key pillar of his presidency, these regulations are among the most significant environmental regulations implemented.
It has also made it harder for him to get along with one of his most important allies, the United Auto Workers, who have been slow to embrace the switch to electric vehicles. The new tailpipe standards have received widespread support from the automobile industry in the United States.
Despite the backlash from auto workers, Biden lowered the target for the adoption of electric vehicles in the final rule, which did little to placate an oil industry that relies on gas-powered vehicles for survival.
Both Vice President Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, will have to pass through the industrial states of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania in order to win the presidency in November.
Workers in these states are concerned that the transition to EVs will put their jobs at risk. Trump has promised to reverse the new tailpipe standards and has repeatedly criticized electric vehicles.
