DEFEND ADVANCED CLEAN CARS I & REJECT THE CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW ACT
Electric vehicles are critical for U.S. economic and national security. Congress should keep the Advanced Clean Cars I standard in place to strengthen defense, create American jobs, and ensure the U.S. auto industry remains competitive with the rest of the world.
What's Happening?
The EPA and leaders in Congress have submitted the Advanced Clean Cars (ACC) I Clean Air Act waiver for review and potential rescission under the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The ACC Program, established in 2012, addresses ambient air quality and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by setting Low-Emission Vehicle (LEV) standards for criteria pollutants and GHGs, as well as Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) standards for cars manufactured through model year 2025. This effort has directly resulted in millions of more efficient vehicles operating today, supporting the creation of the nation’s largest EV market and saving drivers billions in fuel costs.
Last summer, Congress and the administration revoked waivers for Advanced Clean Cars II, Advanced Clean Trucks, and the Heavy-Duty Omnibus Rule. Now, the administration intends to challenge the first of these standards. Because ACC I applies only to past model years and use of the CRA prohibits future passage of rules to accomplish “substantially the same” effect, the move is an attempt to bar states from implementing their own clean air standards, as authorized by the Clean Air Act.
Why Does It Matter?
- Under the Clean Air Act, California has the right to set its own air quality standards, and other states have the right to adopt them. Seventeen states representing approximately a third of the U.S. population had already done so to protect public health, save consumers money, and promote the development of next-generation clean transportation technologies that create jobs and attract investment. Federal rules are a necessary baseline, but states should have the freedom to innovate on top of that baseline.
- Accelerating transportation electrification supports U.S. economic and national security. Reducing our reliance on oil for transportation keeps more of our energy dollars within the domestic economy and promotes the development of cutting-edge industries that fuel economic growth. So far, nearly 200,000 American EV jobs have been announced.
- Embracing electrification boosts U.S. competitiveness on the global stage. Electric vehicles have assumed a greater share of the global vehicle market each year for decades, now representing one in four new vehicle sales. To secure a leading role in the future of transportation, the United States must keep pace with innovations happening abroad by offering EVs of comparable price and performance.
- Electric transportation strengthens U.S. defense capabilities. Modern military technology relies on the same critical minerals used in EVs and EV batteries. Because the consumer EV market represents a far larger source of demand for these minerals than the military, maintaining a robust domestic EV industry is the only way to guarantee continued access to these essential materials.
- U.S. automakers need greater certainty. American automakers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars in electric transportation, but policy changes have stranded some of those investments and led to lost jobs. Because it can take years for vehicles to come to market, automakers need policy certainty to ensure their success. Rolling back ACC I would only add to the uncertainty they have faced in recent years.
- Electric vehicles reduce our vulnerability to oil price volatility. It is more affordable to fuel a vehicle with electricity than with gasoline, and the cost does not fluctuate as much due to global events. Individually, EV drivers save thousands in fuel costs over each vehicle’s lifetime. Collectively, transportation electrification insulates the economy from the negative impacts of rapid price shifts.
