A fuel trade group is running false ads saying the EPA banned new gasoline cars

A fuel manufacturers trade group is airing television ads in multiple states claiming the Environmental Protection Agency has banned new gasoline-powered vehicles.

The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers spent $7 million to air a package of ads in key battleground states, including Wisconsin, that claim "EPA regulators just banned most new gas-powered cars."  

The 30-second ad refers to 2023 proposed federal vehicle emissions standards from the EPA that would set stricter tailpipe emissions for vehicles made from 2027 to 2032.

If implemented, the new standards would reduce the number of gasoline-emission vehicles, but it would not ban them as the group claims. 

In April 2023, the EPA proposed tailpipe emission limits produced by new light- and medium-duty vehicles as well as heavy-duty trucks.

It requires cars and trucks made from 2027 to 2032 to meet a fleetwide average tailpipe emissions standard of 82 grams per mile for light-duty cars.

This would represent almost a 50% reduction compared with current standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2023 through 2026.

These rules, which are still in regulatory review, allow manufacturers to meet these targets by any means that are economically suitable for their business. 

There is no ban on new or future gasoline-powered vehicles. 

However, the EPA said in a news release the standards are most effectively met through the production of electric vehicles, which have zero tailpipe emissions when running only on electricity. 

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If passed, the EPA rule would only apply to the production of vehicles starting in 2027 — it would not impact conventional gasoline-powered vehicles on the road now or the sale of used vehicles past that year.

To meet the new standards, manufacturers would likely accelerate the production of electric vehicles and decrease the production of gasoline-powered vehicles, according to the EPA.

The rule wouldn’t impact car owners, but it might impact the types of new cars available for purchase after 2027.

When asked about the use of "ban" in its ads, Ericka Perryman, the group’s senior director of issue communications, argued the mass reduction in the availability of new gasoline-powered cars is essentially a de facto ban.

"For consumers who are unable to find a new gas car or truck they can afford because of this policy, it’s the same as a ban on most new gas cars," Perryman told PolitiFact Wisconsin.

The EPA projects electric vehicles will account for 67% of new car sales by 2032, with the rest being gasoline-powered.

A fuel trade group is running ads in battleground election states that claim, "EPA regulators just banned most new gas-powered cars."

But the EPA proposed regulation from last year would reduce only fleetwide emissions for cars and trucks, allowing for the continued production of gasoline-powered cars.

Although the regulation would likely greatly diminish the production of new gasoline-powered vehicles starting in 2027, it is not a ban on gasoline-powered cars. 

We rate the claim False.