Executive Order 14037: Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks

What does Executive Order 14037 do?

Biden announced a goal that half of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in 2030 would be zero-emission vehicles, including battery-electric, plug-in hybrid and fuel-cell vehicles. The signed order framed cleaner vehicles as a policy for jobs, public health, energy security and emissions reduction. The 50 percent figure was an administration goal, not a self-executing requirement that individual consumers purchase electric cars. Signed text.

The operational instructions were directed to EPA and Transportation. EPA was to consider multi-pollutant emissions standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles from model year 2027, heavy-duty nitrogen-oxide limits and further greenhouse-gas standards. Transportation was to consider fuel-economy or fuel-efficiency standards for passenger vehicles, heavy-duty pickups and vans, and medium- and heavy-duty engines and vehicles. This separated air-pollution authority from fuel-economy authority rather than merging them into one rule. Signed text.

The order also required coordination and stakeholder input. EPA was to coordinate with California and other leading states, while both departments sought views from workers, industry, environmental-justice organizations and public-health experts. Commerce, Labor and Energy were named as consulting partners on manufacturing, innovation, supply chains and jobs. Automakers and consumers would feel the resulting rules if agencies lawfully adopted them, rather than through the aspirational sales target alone. Signed text.