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WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Climate Alliance — a bipartisan coalition of governors representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population — issued the following statement today in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of California’s request for a waiver of preemption for the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation:
“The Alliance welcomes today’s decision from EPA, which empowers America’s climate-leading states to go further, faster to stamp out climate pollution,” said U.S. Climate Alliance Executive Director Casey Katims. “This action means cleaner air in our communities, lower costs and expanded choice for consumers, and more good-paying jobs and investment in manufacturing across America.”
This waiver approval benefits not only California, but all states and territories that choose to adopt the ACC II rule to protect their communities, advance their emissions-reduction targets, save consumers money, and protect public health. To date, 11 other Alliance states have adopted the ACC II regulation. Additionally, 19 Alliance states have established lead-by-example state zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) fleet requirements.
States and territories across the Alliance are also implementing the complementary policies needed to get more clean cars on our roadways. This includes offering state-level incentives for electric vehicles and at-home chargers, leveraging investments through the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program to expand public charging availability, working with utilities to expand investments in ZEV infrastructure and otherwise prepare for vehicle electrification, and establishing electric vehicle-ready requirements to ensure new housing and parking facilities will accommodate electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Today’s action follows a letter sent by the Alliance to EPA in February encouraging approval of California’s ACC II waiver request.
In April and September, the Alliance also encouraged EPA’s timely authorization of California’s In-Use Locomotive Regulation (IULR) and waiver approval for the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, respectively. Decisions from EPA are pending.
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 net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% by 2025, 50-52% by 2030, and 61-66% by 2035, all below 2005 levels, 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. The Alliance reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 19% between 2005 and 2022, while increasing collective GDP by 30%, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal by reducing collective GHG emissions 26% below 2005 levels by 2025. 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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