Advanced BioFuels USA

(Office of Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR))  The Zero-Emission Vehicles Act of 2020 will position U.S. to lead global auto industry —  Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Representative Mike Levin (D-CA-49) today introduced in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act of 2020, path-breaking legislation that would create jobs, improve health, and address climate chaos by ending American sales of new gasoline-powered vehicles in 15 years.

Pollution created by gasoline engines is widely understood by the medical community to cause premature deaths and asthma attacks, and may also increase mortality among coronavirus patients. One in 13 Americans live with asthma, and millions of Americans who have had the coronavirus may suffer from long-term respiratory complications.

Carbon pollution from cars is also a leading cause of the climate crisis that has been driving catastrophic storms, wildfires, heat waves, and droughts. 

“If we don’t make things in America, we won’t have a middle class in America. And if we don’t save our planet from climate chaos, our entire economy and our nation’s public health will end up in shambles,” said Merkley. “The whole world, with a few science-denying holdouts in America, recognizes the imperative of ending carbon pollution. By moving aggressively and boldly now, we can help save Americans from the dire health and economic impacts of the climate crisis, and make sure American workers are the ones building the next generation of cars for the world.”

“We are already experiencing devastating effects of the climate crisis in California, but we can still protect our planet for future generations if we take aggressive action now,” said Rep. Levin. “Transitioning to zero-emission vehicles will drastically reduce harmful carbon pollution, improve public health, and create the cleantech jobs of the future right here in America. I’m proud that my home state has embraced cleaner cars – including the ones in my driveway – and reaped the economic rewards. My bill with Senator Merkley and Congressman Neguse will ensure that the rest of the country experiences the same benefits.”

The introduction follows the Trump administration’s weakening of auto emission standards, and the adoption of legislation by states across America—including Oregon—to dramatically lower vehicle pollution.

The Zero-Emission Vehicles Act would fix what is currently only a patchwork of state-level policies by setting a Federal Zero-Emissions Vehicle standard to boost the market for battery electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The standard would require that by 2025, 50 percent of sales for new passenger vehicles are ZEVs, and ramp up 5 percent each year to 100 percent by 2035. The ZEV standard would only be applied to the sale of new cars.

The Zero Emission Vehicles Act is cosponsored by Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Booker (D-NJ) in the Senate, and Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO-1), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR-3), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE-At Large), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-1), Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), Judy Chu (D-CA-27), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO-5), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA-11), Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA-18), Jared Huffman (D-CA-2), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-7), Barbara Lee (D-CA-13), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47), Jerry Nadler (D-NY-10), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) in the House.

The full text of the legislation is available here.  READ MORE

GM BETS ON EVs: (Politico’s Morning Energy)

BY THE NUMBERS: At the end of September, loans to fossil fuels through the Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program more than tripled (Politico’s Morning Energy)

Dems introduce bill to phase out gas-powered cars (E&E News)

Plugging In: New Survey Examines American Perceptions of—and Resistance to—Electric Vehicles (Resources for the Future)

CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association reacts to the Zero Emission Vehicle Act  (RFD TV; includes VIDEO)

California Governor bans the sale of gas-powered cars by 2035. (RFD TV; includes VIDEO)

IRFA, IBB URGE IOWA CANDIDATES TO TAKE A STAND AGAINST ANTI-BIOFUELS LEGISLATION (Iowa Renewable Fuels Association)

Reps. Mike Levin, Joe Neguse, and Senator Jeff Merkley Introduce Legislation to Transition America to 100% Zero-Emission Vehicles (Office of Representative Mike Levin (D-CA-49))

INSIDE JOHNSON’S 10-POINT PLAN (Politico’s Morning Energy)

Excerpt from RFD TV: According to Cooper (Geoff Cooper, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association), “The good news is this bill isn’t going anywhere. We’re two weeks away from and election, we’re two months away from a new Congress. So, this bill will expire, it will die a quiet death, and Senator [Jeff] Merkley is really just trying to send a message here. That message is, that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and that of course is a commendable goal and we agree… but mandating electric vehicles is probably not the best way to do that.”

Excerpt from Politico’s Morning Energy:  INSIDE JOHNSON’S 10-POINT PLAN: The U.K. will bring forward a ban on the sale of new gas and diesel cars to 2030, Boris Johnson said as part of his long-awaited “10-point plan” to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, POLITICO Europe’s Charlie Cooper reports. The document includes further commitments to invest in offshore wind, nuclear energy and carbon capture, as well as hydrogen energy production — with a plan to power the first “hydrogen town” by the end of the decade.  READ MORE