The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is undertaking 31 historic actions which includes reconsideration of electric vehicle mandates and truck emissions standards – among other sweeping changes – in an effort to save the American economy trillions in regulatory and compliance expenses.
This follows President Trump’s Day One executive orders.
In addition to reconsidering the Model Year 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles regulation and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles, the EPA is also reviewing the ‘Clean Trucks Plan’. This includes the 2022 Heavy-Duty Nitrous Oxide (NOx) rule which would reportedly result in significant costs that will make the products trucks deliver, like food and other household goods, more expensive.
EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, announced on 12 March 2025 the agency will advance President Trump’s plan to ‘Power the Great American Comeback’.
“We are driving a dagger straight into the heart of the climate change religion to drive down cost of living for American families, unleash American energy, bring auto jobs back to the US and more,” he said.
“Alongside President Trump, we are living up to our promises to unleash American energy, lower costs for Americans, revitalise the American auto industry and work hand-in-hand with our state partners to advance our shared mission.”
American Trucking Associations President, Chris Spear, has commended Trump and Zeldin for demonstrating bold leadership on reopening the Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas emissions standards (GHG3) as well as the review of the federal NOx standard.
“GHG3 in its current form is unachievable given the state of battery-electric technology and the sheer lack of charging infrastructure,” he said.
“This rule has been an albatross for the trucking industry, threatening to reduce equipment availability, increase costs for businesses and consumers, and cause major supply chain disruptions.
“It is critically important that the federal government set realistic standards with achievable targets and timelines. Prior to the imposition of GHG3, EPA used a collaborate process that served the agency and the trucking industry well and allowed us to make monumental progress to reduce emissions. As a result, sixty trucks today emit the same amount as one truck manufactured in 1988.
“The trucking industry welcomes the resumption of this productive partnership with EPA. Crafting a new national rule will prevent states like California from attempting to make an end run around the administration, creating a patchwork of impossible mandates that would jeopardise our economy.
“ATA looks forward to working with the Trump Administration to develop realistic, technology-neutral federal emissions standards that will benefit our environment, preserve and create jobs and set our industry and supply chain up for success.”
Here are the EPA’s announced historic actions:
Unleashing American energy
- Reconsideration of regulations on power plants (Clean Power Plan 2.0).
- Reconsideration of regulations throttling the oil and gas industry (OOOO b/c).
- Reconsideration of Mercury and Air Toxics Standards that improperly targeted coal-fired power plants (MATS).
- Reconsideration of mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program that imposed significant costs on the American energy supply (GHG Reporting Program).
- Reconsideration of limitations, guidelines and standards (ELG) for the Steam Electric Power Generating Industry to ensure low-cost electricity while protecting water resources (Steam Electric ELG).
- Reconsideration of wastewater regulations for coal power plants to help unleash American energy (Oil and Gas ELG).
- Reconsideration of Biden-Harris Administration Risk Management Program rule that made America’s oil and natural gas refineries and chemical facilities less safe (Risk Management Program Rule).
Lowering the cost of living for American families
- Reconsideration of light-duty, medium-duty, and heavy-duty vehicle regulations that provided the foundation for the Biden-Harris electric vehicle mandate (Car GHG Rules).
- Reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding and regulations and actions that rely on that Finding (Endangerment Finding).
- Reconsideration of technology transition rule that forces companies to use certain technologies that increased costs on food at grocery stores and semiconductor manufacturing (Technology Transition Rule).
- Reconsideration of Particulate Matter National Ambient Air Quality Standards that shut down opportunities for American manufacturing and small businesses (PM 2.5 NAAQS).
- Reconsideration of multiple National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for American energy and manufacturing sectors (NESHAPs).
- Restructuring the Regional Haze Program that threatened the supply of affordable energy for American families (Regional Haze).
- Overhauling Biden-Harris Administration’s ‘Social Cost of Carbon’.
- Redirecting enforcement resources to EPA’s core mission to relieve the economy of unnecessary bureaucratic burdens that drive up costs for American consumers (Enforcement Discretion).
- Terminating Biden’s Environmental Justice and DEI arms of the agency (EJ/DEI).
Advancing cooperative federalism
- Ending so-called ‘Good Neighbor Plan’ which the Biden-Harris Administration used to expand federal rules to more states and sectors beyond the program’s traditional focus and led to the rejection of nearly all State Implementation Plans.
- Working with states and tribes to resolve massive backlog with State Implementation Plans and Tribal Implementation Plans that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve (SIPs/TIPs).
- Reconsideration of exceptional events rulemaking to work with states to prioritise the allowance of prescribed fires within State and Tribal Implementation Plans (Exceptional Events).
- Reconstituting Science Advisory Board and Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (SAB/CASAC).
- Prioritising coal ash program to expedite state permit reviews and update coal ash regulations (CCR Rule).
- Utilising enforcement discretion to further North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Helene.
