- New carbon emissions standards, aimed at coal and gas-fired plants. If enforced, these rules would require virtually all US coal and large gas plants to reduce or capture 90% of their carbon dioxide emissions by 2038 or be shuttered. The EPA argues this will push facilities to make the move to clean energy or to invest in carbon capture technology. The agency has concluded that this would eliminate over 600 million tons of carbon emissions across the next 20 years (for comparison that is twice the UK's annual emissions).
- Updated emissions standards for passenger cars and commercial trucks. These strict pollution regulations for vehicles would be implemented for 2027-2032 car models and would cut more than 9 billion tons of carbon dioxide emissions through 2055. The limits would cause a major transformation in the auto industry, as they would require up to two-thirds of all new vehicle sales to be electric (or zero emission) by 2032.
The EPA is accelerating action against climate change
This year, the Environmental Protection Agency has been acting with unprecedented urgency on climate change issues. In the past month alone, the EPA has announced anti-pollution regulations, far-reaching limits on carbon emissions, and new emissions standards for vehicles. Notably, these proposed regulations include: