Third Way Applauds Clean Vehicle Standards from the Biden-Harris Administration

WASHINGTON — Third Way released the following statement from Ryan Fitzpatrick, Director of the Climate and Energy Program:

“The vehicle standards announced today by the Biden-Harris Administration are the kind of ambitious but achievable policies America needs to help us reduce pollution, make our communities safer and healthier, create thousands of new clean energy jobs, and meet our climate targets.

"Third Way strongly supports the Biden-Harris Administration's bold new target of 50% of vehicle sales being zero-emission vehicles by 2030. It's an ambitious goal, but one that is shared by some of our nation's leading automakers and that is necessary if we're going to lead the global transition to clean vehicles and meet our climate goals. Underpinning this target are the return of President Obama's fuel economy rule, which will require the average fuel economy of new passenger cars and trucks to increase by 5% each year, and a stronger EPA standard for greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks. These standards are crucial if we are serious about meeting our targets.

“With today's announcements, President Biden is taking smart steps here to accelerate the shift to cleaner, more efficient electric vehicles. Now it’s time for Congress to make sure Americans reap the full rewards from this transition. We need the infrastructure and reconciliation bills to deliver investments and incentives that expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure, make EVs cost-effective for a wider set of consumers, and ensure US manufacturing facilities and autoworkers are ready to compete for this market.

At this point, the trend toward EV adoption is inevitable. It’s up to policymakers to ensure the transition is as affordable, equitable, and lucrative for all Americans.”