National Farmers Union Pushes for Change in EPA Tailpipe Emissions Proposal

The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule on tailpipe emissions that artificially tilts the scale in favor of electric vehicles. According to National Farmers Union, Senior Adviser, Ann Steckel. She explains that the EPA missed an opportunity to capitalize on the benefits of biofuels. And she feels that this rule actually comes across as a mandate for electric vehicles.

“If really the goal of what the EPA is doing is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we feel that they should look at many of the vehicles that are on the road today and that will likely continue to be produced which are internal combustion engines and the way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through those internal combustion engines are to use more biofuels.”

While the comment period for the EPA is proposed tailpipe emissions rule ended on July 5, Steckel says that additional outreach and advocacy efforts are being made before the EPA finalizes this proposed rule. She says the EPA failed to look at the entire lifecycle of emissions for automobiles. If you just look

at the tailpipe, you know, the way they structured it, it unfairly incentivizes EV. So if you look at all of the emissions, you know, you have to look upstream the mining of the materials to make the batteries the storage of the batteries after the disposal, kind of the entire lifecycle of the automobile. You know, that would certainly fall in favor of biofuels.”

Steckel says while the current administration has done some things in favor of renewable fuels and tells the National Farmers Union that they support biofuels this proposed rule is contrary to that support.