A Rivian SUV rolled down my street the other day.
That was my first sighting of a vehicle manufactured by the electric truck company, seeking to build a huge factory east of Atlanta.
Electric vehicles will receive a huge boost from the EPA's proposed new tailpipe emissions standards, which could lead to EVs comprising 67 percent of the U.S. auto market by 2032.
The stringent Biden administration proposal announced Wednesday clashes with his recent approval of Conoco-Phillips' Willow oil drilling project in the Alaskan wilderness. The petroleum company plans to keep drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve for 30 years.
If electric vehicles increasingly dominate the auto industry, Conoco-Phillips will find its Alaskan venture unprofitable. But the company is already gearing up to produce more petroleum, according to a recent New York Times story.
Biden's EPA rules likely will be reversed if a Republican is elected president in 2024, or if the GOP takes control of Congress.
Auto companies were already planning to boost electric vehicle production, and California has imposed strict emissions rules that are pushing the shift to EVs.
The EPA proposals signal a major move toward the United States reducing emissions to meet global climate-change goals.
Biden's actions have set into motion competing futures for the U.S. economy, one of continued fossil fuel domination, the other a shift toward alternative energy sources.
If the new economy develops, Rivians and other electric vehicles will be a common sight on streets and highways.
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