By Jamie Martin
Corn growers and other agricultural groups are teaming up with the oil industry to challenge a rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limiting truck emissions.
The National Corn Growers Association and American Farm Bureau Federation argue that the EPA’s new standards for heavy-duty vehicles, which take effect in model years 2027 to 2032, would require a switch to electric vehicles that aren’t yet reliable or widely available.
The agricultural groups are also fighting separate EPA emissions rules for passenger vehicles, arguing that the EPA unfairly favors electric vehicles over biofuels. They say the new truck rules could harm farm revenue by reducing demand for corn-based ethanol, a renewable fuel.
The EPA says the new standards are necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the administration’s climate targets. The agency’s plan calls for transitioning more than 40% of trucks to battery power by 2032.
The lawsuit comes as registrations of electric heavy-duty vehicles are slowly increasing in the U.S., rising from 200 in 2021 to 1,600 in 2023.
However, biofuel advocates argue that electric vehicles are not a practical solution for long-haul trucking because of their limited range and long charging times.
Photo Credit: american-farm-bureau-federation
Categories: National