The Environmental Protection Agency released historic new pollution standards for passenger cars and small trucks Wednesday that could effectively require most new vehicles sold in the United States to be hybrid or electric by 2032—though it gave carmarkers more time to comply than an earlier proposal last year, in a major concession to auto manufacturers and labor unions.
The EPA is predicting that the new regulations will prevent 2,500 premature deaths from asthma, cardiovascular illness and other conditions by 2055.The Biden administration has made electric vehicles a major component of its plan to fight climate change and cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, the administration has faced serious pushback from labor unions like the United Auto Workers.