White House Introduces Rules to Reduce Diesel Emissions

Facts

• On Friday, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced new regulations aimed at cutting diesel gas emissions from vehicles such as heavy-duty trucks and buses.¹
• The EPA wants lighter trucks to reduce emissions by 17% by model year 2027, and medium-sized commercial trucks by 13%. By model year 2032, work trucks and tractors must cut their carbon output by 25-60%, depending on the size.²
• The EPA projects that 12-25% of the largest freight trucks will reach zero emissions by the early 2030s, with 40% of smaller vehicles, such as beverage or dump trucks, reaching it by the same time.³
• Manufacturers can cut emissions by any means they'd like, including through advanced internal combustion engines, hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.³
• Federal data indicates that the transportation industry accounts for 29% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions, with 23% of that coming from medium- and heavy-duty trucks. A reported less than 1% of new truck sales are zero-emissions.¹
• In its attempt to lower the cost burden of switching to green energy, the Biden administration says it will offer tax credits as well as federal funding to help purchase new vehicles, particularly for school buses.³

Sources: ¹FOX News, ²New York Post and ³CNN.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by US EPA. Biden's vehicle emissions agenda will not only remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but also create a $99B net benefit for society. The EPA has taken both environmental and economic concerns into consideration, rightly earning praise from both auto manufacturing and environmental groups. These regulations are about pushing America toward a cleaner and more lucrative future.
• Republican narrative, as provided by New York Post. Biden's latest energy plans perfectly highlight his hypocrisy on the issue. While he's forcing American manufacturers to reduce gas usage at home, he's also asking Ukraine not to attack Russian gas infrastructure to keep global gas prices down during an election year. Besides, his goal isn't feasible, given that to accomplish these emissions reductions, the country would, by 2050, have to expand its entire electrical grid by a virtually impossible extent.

Predictions