The largest US oil trading group, which includes Exxon Mobil and Chevron, will file a federal lawsuit to block the Biden administration's efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions from cars and light trucks and promote the production of electric vehicles, Reuters reported. .
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new tailpipe emissions rules in March that will force the nation's automakers to build and sell more electric vehicles to meet the new standards. Under the rule, the administration projects that up to 56 percent of all car sales will be electric between 2030 and 2032.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) says the EPA has overstepped Congress' authority with a regulation that will eliminate most new gas-powered cars and traditional hybrids from the U.S. market in less than a decade.
"Today we are taking action to protect American consumers, American manufacturing workers and our nation's hard-won energy security from this intrusive government mandate," said API Senior Vice President and General Counsel Ryan Myers.
The case will be filed in the District of Columbia Court of Appeals
The National Corn Growers Association and the American Farm Bureau Federation will join API as co-petitioners. Both groups rely on gas-powered cars to support corn ethanol production.
"By approving exhaust standards that focus exclusively on electric vehicles, the EPA has ignored the proven benefits of corn ethanol in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change," said the Minnesota farmer and president of the National Association of Electric Vehicle Manufacturers. corn Harold Volle.
In April, Republican attorneys general from 25 states sued the EPA to block the same rules.
The regulations are among the most significant environmental rules introduced under President Joe Biden, who has made combating climate change a central pillar of his administration. It also complicated his relationship with a key ally, the United Auto Workers, who have been slow to embrace the transition to electric vehicles.