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EPA’s recent proposals to strengthen federal light- and medium-duty (LD+MD) and heavy-duty (HD) vehicle emission standards, along with critical new federal programs and investments, can propel us forward in securing a cleaner, greener future across America.
Earlier this year, Alliance states and territories came together to recommend more than 20 specific climate actions that the federal government can take to empower climate-leading states and speed America’s transition to a net-zero future. We are pleased to see EPA now moving forward on two of those recommendations — strengthening federal vehicle emission standards by 2024 to align with the administration’s 2030 emissions reduction and electric vehicle sales targets, and revising existing preemption regulations for nonroad vehicles and engines to allow states and territories to more easily act under the Clean Air Act to address air quality issues.
As EPA takes these important actions, our members are committed to doing their part at the state and territorial level to cut emissions throughout the transportation system and will continue to lead the nation in deploying zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) and ZEV infrastructure.
By tackling greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector — the largest source of climate pollution in the United States — we can move closer to achieving our shared goals to protect public health, advance environmental justice, spur technological innovation and economic growth, support consumers and businesses, create good-paying jobs, and confront the climate crisis.
Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the previous administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. While reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions by 19%, Alliance members increased their collective GDP by 30%. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.
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