American Petroleum Institute Claims The EPA Is Trying To Ban ICE Vehicles

• The American Petroleum Institute has slammed the new emission rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency.
• The new rules would require a 13% reduction in annual vehicle emissions in the U.S. and a 56% cut in overall average fleet emissions.
• The API believes the proposed rules amount to a ban on internal combustion engines and will make the U.S. dependent on foreign suppliers for EV materials.

The new emission rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency would effectively mean a phase-out of internal combustion engine vehicles.

That’s according to the American Petroleum Institute, which commented on proposed emission rule changes by the EPA that would require a 13% reduction in annual vehicle emissions in the United States for models 2027 to 2032. The proposed changes would also stipulate a 56% cut in overall average fleet emissions in that period from 2026 levels.

"The stringency of the standards as proposed and illustrated by EPA, are effectively a ban on internal combustion engines," API senior policy advisor Bryan Just told Reuters.

The EPA disclosed the proposal in April and is currently conducting public hearings on it.

According to the API’s Just, the changes, if approved as is, would effectively put an end to internal combustion engine technology improvement and hybrid technology while at the same time making the U.S. heavily reliant on foreign suppliers of the battery materials needed for EVs.

Unsurprisingly, Californian authorities, unlike the API, praised the changes, which are in tune with the state’s ambitious plans to turn itself into the first net-zero state in the country.

The chairwoman of California’s Air Resources Board praised the changes but noted that "because conventional internal combustion technology will be used for years to come, we encourage you to include mechanisms to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions from those vehicles continue to decline even if the share of ZEVs increases." 

As Reuters noted in its report, California needs the agency’s approval for its plan to phase out internal combustion engine cars by 2035.

The EPA acknowledges that stricter regulations would affect ICE car sales, forecasting that as a result of those regulations—if implemented—60% of new vehicles sold by 2030 will be electric, rising to 67% by 2032.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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