Biden Announces Executive Order Designed to Make Gas Vehicles a Relic of the Past
August 5, 2021 at 7:07am
President Joe Biden will sign an executive order on Thursday with the goal to make 50 percent of new vehicles sold by 2030 zero-emission.
“The future of the auto industry is electric,” Biden said on Twitter as he announced his plan.
He also took a shot at former President Donald Trump, saying he would be “unveiling steps to reverse the previous administration’s short-sighted rollback of vehicle standards.”
“Specifically, the President will sign an Executive Order that sets an ambitious new target to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles,” the White House said in a “fact sheet” released Thursday morning.
“The Executive Order also kicks off development of long-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards to save consumers money, cut pollution, boost public health, advance environmental justice, and tackle the climate crisis,” it said.
“Together, today’s announcements would put us on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from new passenger vehicle sales by more than 60 percent in 2030 compared to vehicles sold last year, and facilitate achieving the President’s goal of 50-52 percent net economy-wide greenhouse gas emission reductions below 2005 levels in 2030.”
Biden hinted at the announcement in a Twitter post on Wednesday.
“When I say electric vehicles are the future, I’m not joking. Tune in for big news tomorrow,” he tweeted.
“A decade ago, we were talking about reaching around 50 miles per gallon of gasoline in 15 years. Today, for new autos we’re talking about reaching around 50% of vehicles that don’t require even one gallon of gasoline to go a mile in less than a decade,” a senior administration official said, according to ABC News.
The report added that “automakers like Ford and GM are expected to be at the White House to support the executive order and announce their plans to meet Biden’s goal.”
However, the new climate-friendly initiative comes at a steep price. The New York Post reports, “The least-expensive new electric car in 2021 is the $29,900 Mini Electric Hardtop, according to US News & World Report, which reported the price before state and federal tax credits.
“The 2021 Chevrolet Spark, by contrast, is the least-expensive new car overall and starts at $13,400.”
In April, Biden committed the United States to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent by 2030 as part of its renewed pledge to the Paris climate agreement.
The Democratic president made the “nationally determined contribution” pledge on Thursday morning, the first day of the two-day virtual Leaders Summit on Climate, NBC News reported.
“These steps will set America on a path of net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050,” Biden said.
“But the truth is, America represents less than 15 percent of the world’s emissions. No nation can solve this crisis on our own, as I know you all fully understand.”
Biden addressed the attending 40 heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro and Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, calling on other countries to follow his lead in making similar commitments to cut emissions.
He said that scientists have claimed the current decade will be crucial to addressing the “climate crisis.”
“This is the decade we must make decisions that will avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis,” Biden said.
“We can’t resign ourselves to that future. We have to take action, all of us, and this summit is our first step on the road we’ll travel together.”
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