EPA tailpipe emission rules facing strong opposition in Illinois, elsewhere

The assault on the Biden administration's tough tailpipe emissions standards continue.

Under the rules, the auto industry could meet the standards if 56% of new vehicle sales are electric vehicles and at least 13% of sales are plug-in hybrids by 2032.

The Illinois Corn Growers Association is commending the U.S. House of Representatives for passing a resolution overturning the EPA’s emissions standard.

“Corn farmers in Illinois applaud the House vote on a resolution that would overturn what ICGA calls the EPA’s de facto electric vehicle mandate,” said Dave Rylander, president of ICGA and farmer from Victoria. “The emissions standards the EPA released in May focused only on electric vehicles as a pathway to decarbonize the U.S. transportation sector and did not consider other alternatives, like clean-burning corn-based ethanol.”

His group has joined the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers in a lawsuit against the rule. The lawsuit claims that the EPA exceeded its congressional authority with the regulation with targets that rely too heavily on electrification. The other states’ corn associations involved in the lawsuit include Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

“This Biden-Harris EPA regulation will ban most new gas-powered cars, harming consumers, our economy and our national security in the process,” said AFPM President Chet Thompson.

The Illinois Farm Bureau has also contacted the EPA, noting the tailpipe emissions standards would effectively incentivize and force the auto industry to prioritize further development of electric vehicle battery technology over liquid fuel alternatives, like corn-based ethanol and soy-based biodiesel.

The resolution that passed the House now heads to the Democratic-controlled Senate. President Joe Biden has said he would veto the measure if it reaches his desk.