LANSING ? Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, alongside 23 attorneys general and four cities, filed a motion this week to intervene in the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to help defend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?s final rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles emissions standards for model years 2027-2032 (Final Rule). ?

The Final Rule sets stricter tailpipe emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles for harmful air pollutants, including greenhouse gases (GHG), nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Currently, the rule is being challenged by 25 Republican-led states seeking to curb the agency?s efforts to reduce emissions from the transportation sector. ?

?The EPA?s Final Rule is a critical step in reducing the amounts of harmful pollutants in our air,? Nessel said. ?By curbing these emissions, we not only protect the environment and public health, but also unlock economic opportunities in cleaner technologies in the Motor City. I am proud to stand with my colleagues to support these standards.? ?

Transportation is the leading source of GHG emissions in the country, and passenger cars account for more than half of those transportation emissions. Motor vehicle emissions also contribute to ozone, particulate matter, and air toxics, all of which are linked to premature death, respiratory illness, cardiovascular problems, and cancer, among other serious health impacts.?

Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires the U.S. EPA to set emission standards for air pollutants from new motor vehicles or new motor vehicle engines that cause or contribute to air pollution and endanger public health or welfare. The Final Rule will result in a 50 percent reduction in light-duty vehicle (i.e. passenger cars) GHG emissions and a 44 percent reduction in medium-duty vehicle (i.e. large pickup trucks and vans, including delivery vans) GHG emissions compared to model year 2026 levels, and it will encourage the ongoing transition to electric vehicles. The emissions standards in the Final Rule will also cut nitrogen oxides and non-methane organic gases by half and particulate matter by over 95 percent.?

Nessel joined the attorneys general of California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Mexico, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin; the Commonwealths of Massachusetts and Pennsylvania; the City and County of Denver, and the cities of Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York in filing this motion. ?

A copy of the motion can be found here (PDF).?

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