Oil and gas trade groups urge Congress to overturn “unlawful” EV mandate for heavy trucks

(WO) – American Petroleum Institute (API) President and CEO Mike Sommers and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President and CEO Chet Thompson issued a statement on EPA’s newly finalized heavy-duty vehicle standards covering model years 2027 through 2032:

“This is yet another example of the Biden administration’s whole-of-government effort to eliminate choices for American consumers, businesses, and industries. There is significant uncertainty regarding the technological and infrastructure capability to comply with this rule, which may threaten the speed and cost of goods moving throughout the country.

“By moving forward with an extreme reliance on so-called heavy-duty zero emission vehicles, this rule disincentivizes the development of other fuel-based technologies—including American-made renewable diesel—that are working in today’s heavy-duty fleet to reduce emissions more quickly and at a lower cost. This misguided rule should be overturned by Congress, but short of that, our organizations are prepared to explore challenges in court.”

Fast Facts:

• Over 98% of the heavy-duty vehicles sold in 2023 were diesel-powered, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
• The American Trucking Associations estimates that 11.46 billion tons of freight were transported by trucks in 2022, representing more than 72 percent of total domestic tonnage shipped.
• A recent American Transportation Research Institute study found that full electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet would require the addition of generation and transmission capacity equal to more than 40% of the current electricity demand.

API represents all segments of America’s natural gas and oil industry, which supports more than 11 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of millions of Americans.