Washington, US
Ford Motor Co has backed the Biden administration's moves in the US to extensively cut down vehicle emissions through 2032, rejecting Republican arguments that the new climate rules are bad for business. The second largest US automaker said that it supports the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulations to cut passenger vehicle fleetwide tailpipe emissions by nearly 50% by 2032 over 2027 levels, as announced in March.
The company said that it welcomed the regulatory stability that the Multi-Pollutant Rule will provide, preventing the "possibility of flip-flopping or changing standards." The Dearborn-based automaker said in a statement, "Complying with emissions regulations requires lengthy advance planning, and Ford has taken steps to transform its business to ensure compliance with stricter emissions standards."
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On the contrary, Former President Donald Trump, who is contending the Presidential elections this time is looking to return to the White House, has vowed to reverse the Biden rules that would boost electric vehicles. A trade group representing General Motors, Toyota Motor, Volkswagen and Ford earlier said that it supported two key aspects of the rule.
Further, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation supported the EPA in including electric vehicles in fleetwide averaging of emissions and excluding upstream emissions from compliance calculations. However, it did not weigh in on the entire rule or the legality of the standards. In a stand against the the EPA's new regulations saying they are unlawful and unworkable, 25 Republican-led states sued the agency last month.
The authorities of these states argue that the administration wants to transform the American passenger vehicle market through strict rules and force automakers to shift production to EVs. At least 22 of these states, led by California, backed the EPA's tailpipe emissions, saying they could be harmed if the EPA did not require future reductions in harmful vehicle emissions.
According to EPA, the final rules announced in March will cut emissions by 49% by 2032 over 2026 levels as compared with 56% under its previous plan. The agency's chief Michael Regan said the rule imposed no mandate on manufacturers to adopt electric vehicles.
(with inputs from Reuters)