Arizona lawmakers, advocates push for clean car standards not to be changed

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) — The Environmental Protection Agency is considering new clean car standards, but Arizona lawmakers and advocates called on Tuesday for the feds to stick to the original plan.

Some reports say the EPA may delay or weaken regulations.

The lobbyists say new clean car standards would be good for Arizona’s economy and the health of Arizona families. They’re encouraging the EPA to finalize the rules by the end of the month and to stick to the strong standards they originally proposed.

Those were to cut greenhouse gas by 50% by 2030 and have net zero emissions by 2050.

The preliminary standards were announced last spring and had the EPA tightening emissions standards starting in 2027.

The agency and automakers expected it’ll be a big boost for the pivot to electric vehicles.

But some car companies and the United Auto Workers union are fighting the new standards, saying they are too strict, too soon. They claim electronic vehicle technology isn’t where it needs to be yet.

There’s word the Biden Administration is now considering weakening the standards or delaying the deadlines.

Arizona advocates say that would be the wrong call. They say encouraging more people to shift to EVs is good for the state, and the EPA needs to stick to the plan.

“Transitioning to clean cars isn’t just an environmental imperative, it’s an economic opportunity that will benefit all Arizonans,” said state Sen. Juan Mendez, a Democrat from Tempe.

“These stronger federal standards would significantly reduce air pollution, reducing the fine particles in the air that wreak havoc on our health,” said Paloma Greenwald with the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments.

LG is building a multi-billion dollar battery plant in Queen Creek, and American Battery Factor is bringing a new plant and headquarters to Tucson.

While the new EPA rules wouldn’t require companies to make electric vehicles, their emissions ratings come from averaging pollutants for all their models. So, zero-emission EVs would be the easiest way to meet the new standards.

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