EPA proposes repeal of GHG emissions standards
By Luke Willetts - 8th September 2025
USA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed rescinding the 2009 Endangerment Finding, the legal foundation that enables the agency to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under the Clean Air Act. According to the EPA, “if finalised, the move would eliminate federal GHG emissions standards for all automobiles, including heavy-duty trucks and buses, overturning requirements first established in 2011 and strengthened through the Phase 2 (2016) and Phase 3 (2023) rules”. These regulations currently mandate improvements in fuel efficiency and reductions in CO₂, methane, and other GHGs across medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
For operators, the rollback could lower near-term compliance costs by removing efficiency and reporting obligations. For OEMs, particularly those investing in low- and zero-emission vehicles, the uncertainty may disrupt product planning and weaken incentives to scale electrified or alternative-fuel trucks and buses.
