“Hello and thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today. My name is Darien Davis, and I am a Government Affairs Advocate for Climate and Clean Energy at the League of Conservation Voters, or LCV. I’m here on behalf of LCV’s members and network of 33 state partners to urge the EPA to enact the strongest possible limits on light and medium duty vehicle pollution, to chart a path to all new vehicles being tailpipe pollution free by 2035.

I appreciate the Biden-Harris administration for moving to tackle transportation pollution — in December 2021, they finalized strong clean car standards through model year 2026. Now, it’s time to build on that momentum by enacting the strongest possible rules for model years 2027 and beyond. A final rule should lay the groundwork for increased electric vehicle (EV) adoption while simultaneously making gas cars more efficient. The current proposed rule is a good first step, with “Alternative 1” getting the U.S. on track in the early years, but EPA should accelerate the emissions reductions required after 2030. In order to tackle the climate crisis at the speed and scale that science demands, we need standards that will reduce 75% of carbon emissions from new cars and light trucks from 2021 levels by 2030. Ultimately, 100% of new cars and light trucks sold should be tailpipe pollution free by 2035.

The EPA’s own analysis found that the transportation sector contributes more than a quarter of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor to climate change. If tackling the climate crisis isn’t motivation enough, strong limits on GHG emissions from vehicles can help families reduce their transportation costs and prospective EV customers have more options. Ambitious standards would give manufacturers, who have already begun to make their own electrification commitments, the right signal that pushes them to sell more EVs. This, in addition to credits for the purchase of new and used EVs put in place by the Inflation Reduction Act, can help to make pollution-free cars more accessible to consumers. 

It is clear that tackling pollution from light and medium duty vehicles has been a top priority for the Biden-Harris administration since day one. It’s now time for them to finish the job. I urge the EPA to finalize the strongest possible limits on vehicle pollution – the EPA should seek to finalize a tightened version of  “Alternative 1”, the strongest standards the EPA analyzed in the proposal, with ramped up limits on pollution after 2030.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify today.”