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WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) will join President Biden at the White House as he will sign an Executive Order establishing an ambitious goal to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric, or fuel cell electric vehicles.

President Biden also announced today that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will undertake proposed rulemakings to address Trump-era rollbacks of near-term fuel efficiency and emissions standards. Dingell released the following statement applauding the announcements:

“The formula to keeping the United States a leader in innovation and technology and climate action is simple – we need to make bold investments in transitioning from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles here in the United States. This includes supporting the workers who make them, keeping them affordable and reliable for consumers, ensuring the auto industry has the certainty it needs with fuel standards, and significantly reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector. I commend the Biden-Harris Administration for their strong commitments today and strong leadership in combatting the climate crisis and accelerating our nation’s shift to go electric, while also supporting good-paying, union jobs. But we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to make these goals come to life – and I’m committed to collaborating on intentional actions and a bold reconciliation package to do this.

“The American worker can make this ambitious goal into a reality – they’re the best workers I know. But we also need to support them with strong wages and benefits. We need to continue lifting up the United Auto Workers and ensuring that electric vehicle manufacturing jobs stay here in America by building batteries, developing the minerals for those batteries, and creating the infrastructure to support these vehicles.

“Along the same lines, nobody can deny that strong fuel economy standards have helped keep our environment clean, reduced our dependence on foreign oil, and saved consumers money at the pump. We need a single national fuel economy standard that strengthens year-over-year so we can protect the environment and give the auto industry the certainty they need so we can grow the economy.

“With the collaborative commitment of this Administration, the auto industry, the auto workers, the environmental community, and a strong reconciliation package in Congress, we can keep America at the forefront of innovation and technology while addressing the climate crisis head on and supporting hard-working families across the country. We cannot wait another second to invest in decarbonizing the transportation sector, so I’m committed to working every single day on a reconciliation package to address these critical needs and keep jobs here at home while protecting our planet with a cleaner economy.”


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