- WV AG JB McCuskey is leading a 23-state coalition in a comment letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urging the agency to delay “Tier 4” vehicle emission standards.
- The EPA is proposing to push back the phase-in of certain emission standards from model year 2027 to 2029 or later for “Tier 4” pollutants including volatile organic compounds, oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter.
- The coalitions letter details why regulatory and factual circumstances justify at least delaying the implementation of the new standards. The states describe how the market has not moved toward electrification as expected, with some automakers reducing electric vehicle production.
- The coalition is arguing that the EPA lacks the legal authority to force a transition from gasoline vehicles to EVs at all. The states argue that Tier 4 exceeds what congress authorized the EPA to do and that Tier 3 regulations have already improved air quality.