Largest U.S. oil trade group to file lawsuit seeking to block electric vehicle push

This article was written by Jarrett Renshaw and was published in the Globe & Mail on June 14, 2024.

New U.S. tailpipe emission rules issued in March will force automakers to produce and sell more electric vehicles. Under the regulations, the Biden administration projects up to 56 per cent of all car sales will be electric between 2030 and 2032.

The nation’s largest oil trade group, which includes Exxon Mobil Corp. and Chevron Corp., will file a federal lawsuit on Thursday seeking to block the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce planet-warming emissions from cars and light trucks and encourage electric vehicle manufacturing, the group said.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued new tailpipe emission rules in March that will force the nation’s automakers to produce and sell more electric vehicles to meet the new standards. Under the regulations, the administration projects up to 56 per cent of all car sales will be electric between 2030 and 2032.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) says the EPA has exceeded its congressional authority with a regulation that will eliminate most new gas cars and traditional hybrids from the U.S. market in less than a decade.

“Today, we are taking action to protect American consumers, U.S. manufacturing workers and our nation’s hard-won energy security from this intrusive government mandate,” API senior vice-president and general counsel Ryan Meyers said.

The lawsuit will be filed in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The National Corn Growers Association and the American Farm Bureau

Federation will join API as co-petitioners. The two groups rely on gas-powered cars to support the corn-ethanol industry.

“By approving tailpipe standards that focus exclusively on electric vehicles, EPA has ignored the proven benefits corn ethanol plays in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting climate change,” Minnesota farmer and National Corn Growers Association president Harold Wolle said. 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 implemented under U.S. President Joe Biden, who has made tackling climate change a key pillar of his presidency. It has also complicated his relationship with a key ally, the United Auto Workers, who have been slow to embrace the transition to electric vehicles. In the final rule, Mr. Biden slashed its target for electric vehicle adoption amid auto worker backlash, but the watering down of the measure did little to pacify an oil industry that needs gas-powered cars to survive.

For both Mr. Biden and his Republican rival, Donald Trump, the road to the White House goes through industrial states Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania where workers fear that the EV transition threatens jobs.

Author: Ray Nakano

Ray is a retired, third generation Japanese Canadian born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario. He resides in Toronto where he worked for the Ontario Government for 28 years. Ray was ordained by Thich Nhat Hanh in 2011 and practises in the Plum Village tradition, supporting sanghas in their mindfulness practice. Ray is very concerned about our climate crisis. He has been actively involved with the ClimateFast group (https://climatefast.ca) for the past 5 years. He works to bring awareness of our climate crisis to others and motivate them to take action. He has created the myclimatechange.home.blog website, for tracking climate-related news articles, reports, and organizations. He has created mobilizecanada.ca to focus on what you can do to address the climate crisis. He is always looking for opportunities to reach out to communities, politicians, and governments to communicate about our climate crisis and what we need to do. He says: “Our world is in dire straits. We have to bend the curve on our heat-trapping pollutants in the next few years if we hope to avoid the most serious impacts of human-caused global warming. Doing nothing is not an option. We must do everything we can to create a livable future for our children, our grandchildren, and all future generations.”