The United States just secured a victory that will protect our health and climate for generations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finalized federal standards to enhance emissions requirements for light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles. These standards aim to promote the production of cleaner passenger cars and light-, medium-, and heavy-duty trucks from model years 2027 to 2032.
This landmark decision, setting long-term emissions standards, is one of the most significant actions President Biden can take to reduce air pollution and protect our climate. It happened because thousands of advocates spoke out about the significance that cleaning up vehicle pollution would have on their livelihoods and the well-being of their communities.
These regulations will continue the EPA's longstanding efforts to reduce vehicle pollution, with an estimated avoidance of 7.2 billion metric tons of climate pollution, the largest gross reduction of climate emissions by any one rule in American history. This initiative will notably improve air quality for many Americans residing near highways and roads nationwide.
The transportation sector, as per the EPA's analysis, contributes up to 29% of total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., surpassing all other sectors. It remains the fastest-growing emitter of greenhouse gases and also plays a significant role in air pollution. Passenger cars and trucks account for 44% of PM2.5 (fine particulate) pollution and 76% of sulfur dioxide pollution. Moreover, although trucks make up less than 10% of vehicles on the road, they emit the majority of hazardous air pollutants from vehicles, including 63% of smog-forming NOx pollution (nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide).