The Environmental Protection Agency finalized the strongest-ever federal clean car standards for the model years 2023-2026 yesterday, strengthening them from the lower Trump-era emissions standards. This represents one of the most significant climate moves from the Biden administration, as the transportation section accounts for nearly 30% of overall US greenhouse gas emissions. The move is also designed to increase the sale of electric vehicles because emissions standards look at the average mileage per gallon of all vehicles a company sells combined, so electric cars can help offset the sales of pickup trucks and other low mileage models. The EPA says the move will prevent 3.1 billion tons of carbon emissions by 2050, reduce US gasoline consumption by 360 billion gallons, and save consumers money in fuel costs. It is also expected to generate $190 billion in public health benefits from cuts to air pollution. A wide range of industry representatives, environmental activists, and labor voices celebrated the win. Molly Rauch, the public health policy director at Moms’ Clean Air Force, said the standards were “good news for the millions of children whose asthma is made worse by car pollution. It’s good for the Black and Latino communities that are disproportionately exposed to tailpipe pollution. It’s good for all people living near highways and around dense traffic—and suffering poor health because of it.” However, some felt the standards do not go far enough. Jeff Alson, a former EPA policy adviser who worked on the Obama-era emissions standards said the standards are “not going to get us anywhere near the level we’ve got to get to reduce vehicle emissions enough to protect the planet.” (New York Times $, CNNReuters $, Washington Post $, GristAssociated PressNPRWall Street Journal $, Verge)