Senate Letter: EPA Must Withdraw Truck Emission Proposals

A group of Senate Republicans is insisting that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdraw two proposals raising truck emissions standards.

In a May 25 letter addressed to EPA Administrator Michael Reagan, 27 Senate Republicans contended that two proposed rules governing greenhouse gas emissions are “legally flawed,” and “divorced from reality.”

“These proposals effectively mandate a costly transition to battery-electric vehicles through regulation without explicit delegated authority from Congress,” the letter argues. “The agency should immediately rescind both proposals.”

The proposed standards — one of which governs emissions from light- and medium-duty vehicles, and the second focuses on heavy-duty vehicle emissions — were introduced in April as part of the EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan. These rules require retailers to scale up the number of battery-electric vehicles they sell each year after model year 2027, which is when the rules take effect.

According to the letter, the transition to zero-emission vehicle sales changes industry standards so significantly that it requires explicit congressional authorization. They also contend that the sudden influx of battery-powered trucks mandated under the proposed rules will put a tremendous strain on our nation’s electrical grid.

The letter follows on the heels of a joint resolution disallowing both proposed rules, one that cleared both chambers of Congress. However, the White House has previously threatened to veto the measure.