- Twenty-five Republican-led states sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday to block rules intended to reduce planet-warming emissions from cars and light trucks and encourage electric vehicle manufacturing, Kentucky's attorney general said, arguing the agency exceeded its legal authority.
The EPA has forecast that between 35% and 56% of new vehicles sold between 2030 and 2032 would be electric under the rules – a range that reflected the flexibility EPA has said automakers have to pursue different pollution-cutting technologies. After resistance by auto workers and the auto industry, the final version of the regulations was scaled back compared to an earlier proposal in order to give automakers more flexibility in meeting the emissions reduction goals. The EPA gave automakers more freedom to meet emissions standards with gas-electric hybrids, which many environmentalists have opposed as a half-measure that delays the EV transition.
The lawsuit is the latest example of Republican attorneys general turning to the courts to challenge various aspects of the Biden administration's climate agenda.