Right now, we need every tool available to fight deadly tailpipe pollution. Today, the EPA reaffirmed the authority of states including Vermont to enforce Advanced Clean Cars II standards. This is a critical step toward helping everyone secure cleaner, less costly vehicles, making our communities healthier, and meeting Vermont’s legal commitment to do its part to reduce planet-warming pollution. We are grateful for and applaud the EPA’s decision. Not only is this decision supported by 50 years of legal precedent under the Clean Air Act, but it protects consumer choice for those who want to invest in cleaner transportation in the face of potential policy rollbacks during the Trump administration.

About Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII):

• The ACCII program will rapidly cut health-harming tailpipe pollution from light-duty vehicles by requiring an increasing percentage of new vehicles each year sold to be zero-emission, reaching 100% of new car sales by 2035.
  • Moreover, ACCII includes updates to the LEV program (LEV IV) that strengthen pollution standards for gas-powered cars and passenger trucks, to continue to reduce toxic tailpipe emissions.
  • The program also includes provisions that advance equity in the zero-emission vehicle transition and provide consumers certainty about the quality and durability of electric vehicles and their batteries. 

• Implementation of California’s program begins in 2025, with sales of model year 2026 vehicles. States that adopted ACCII last year will begin implementation in 2026, with sales of model year 2027 vehicles.
  • ACCII is not an EV mandate.
  • ACCII does not affect cars that are already on the road, or used cars. Gas-powered cars will remain available in perpetuity on the secondary market.
  • ACCII specifically allows for the sale of new plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which have a gas tank and an internal combustion engine. PHEVs can comprise up to 20% of the required ZEV supply.

• Light-duty vehicles are major contributors to air pollution across the country. Car exhaust contains toxic compounds that harm public health. Exposure to these pollutants can exacerbate and contribute to the development of asthma, lung disease and cancer.
  • According to the American Lung Association, more than one in three Americans live in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.
  • Children, older adults, and people with disabilities and chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable to air pollution-related illness.
  • Low-income households and people of color have disproportionately high exposure to toxic pollution from car exhaust, due to proximity to major traffic corridors.

• ACCII is a model program for achieving better public health and taxpayer savings by reducing tailpipe pollution.  According to the American Lung Association, if the entire United States achieved 100% zero-emission passenger vehicle sales and non-combustion clean electricity generation by 2035, we could prevent almost 90,000 premature deaths, 2.2 million asthma attacks, 10.7 million lost days of work, and $978 billion in cumulative public health costs by 2050.