Growth Energy recently submitted comments to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (Oregon DEQ) in response to the states’ proposals to follow California’s Advanced Clean Cars II regulation requiring 100% sales of zero emission vehicles by 2035. In its comments, Growth Energy highlighted the immediate greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction benefits of higher blends of biofuels for cars on the road today.
“A recent study by Air Improvement Resources found that using E15 across the nation would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 17 million tons per year, the equivalent of taking nearly 4 million cars off the road,” wrote Growth Energy in response to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and its proposal. “Specific to Oregon, the study found that if Oregon moved to E15 statewide, it could reduce GHG emissions by 191,000 tons per year, the equivalent of taking 41,000 cars off of Oregon roadways. In addition to GHG benefits, E15 has a proven track record of saving consumers money at the pump, with an average savings of 16 cents per gallon this past summer and the potential to save American drivers more than $20 billion in annual fuel costs if adopted nationwide.”
Growth Energy’s comments to Washington can be found here and comments to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality can be found here.
Background
On August 25, 2022, The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted its proposed “Advanced Clean Cars II” regulations (ACC II). The first piece of the regulation establishes revised, and more stringent, GHG and other emissions standards for model year 2026 through 2035 passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE). This is the Low Emission Vehicle or “LEV” GHG program.
The second part requires vehicle manufacturers to include an increasingly higher percentage of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) in the fleet of vehicles they produce for sale in California each year. ACC II requires that 35 percent of their production be ZEVs in 2026, and it ramps up the requirement each year so that by 2035 manufacturers are allowed to produce only ZEVs for sale in California.
As they have done in response to previous California emission regulations covered by a Section 209(b) waiver, several states may follow California’s ACE II regulation in the coming months and years through another special provision of the Clean Air Act, Section 177, which gives States the authority to incorporate all of or part of California regulations covered by a waiver. Unlike California, these “Section 177” states don’t need EPA approval; they simply must follow their own state laws and procedures in incorporating California standards.
There are 17 “Section 177” states that have followed California’s regulations in the past, including Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania (ZEV only), Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.