New auto emission limits could accelerate transition to EVs

BY SARAH GRINNELL ’26 STAFF WRITER

As the biggest source of carbon emissions in the United States, the transportation sector is a key focus of Biden’s push to usher in a greener economy, according to The Washington Post. On Wednesday, April 12, the Biden administration issued new restrictions that will crack down on auto emissions harder than ever before, The Washington Post reported. According to the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposals, as detailed in an NBC article, the new rules could cut as much as 10 billion tons of carbon emissions by 2050. Per NPR, the policy will achieve this by issuing “regulatory penalties on companies that do not move quickly enough toward electric cars,” thereby accelerating the shift to cleaner vehicles. According to NBC, the rules will go into effect for any cars made after 2027.

According to NPR, the limits, based on the size and type of each car, are placed on tailpipe emissions rather than the actual quantity of gasoline or diesel vehicles produced by auto manufacturers. The restrictions are expected to put pressure on auto companies to manufacture more electric or zero-emission vehicles in order to comply with the regulations, The Washington Post explained.

In fact, according to NPR, as much as 67 percent of all vehicles manufactured by auto companies could be electric by 2032 because the standards are “so stringent.” This would surpass the 50 percent goal that Biden initially set in his first year in office, NBC reported.

A number of officials have spoken out with certain concerns about the efficacy of these ambitious pro-

BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

posals. Larry Burns, a former General Motors executive and current industry technology advisor, expressed that this kind of transition necessitates the construction of entirely new factories, assembly lines and supply chains, which would be a years-long process to implement, The Washington Post reported. Furthermore, according to The Washington Post, the reengineering of one car model alone can take up to five years. Washington State Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, expressed her concerns that the new standards will “make cars unaffordable” and especially hurt low-income families, NBC reported.

The implementation of these new rules will direct the more than $31 billion-worth of subsidies set aside for climate and infrastructure in the Inflation Reduction Act towards tax credits for EV manufacturers, additional tax credits to encourage consumers to buy vehicles and roughly $7.5 billion to construct more EV charging stations, which could help lower the cost of electric vehicles significantly, The Washington Post reported. The shortage of charging stations has long frustrated current EV owners and deterred potential buyers, Car and Driver points out.

According to EPA administrator Michael Regan, the short-term structural difficulties will be worth the long-term environmental benefits. In a Washington Post article, Regan stated, “[T]he stakes cannot be higher. … We must continue to act with haste and ambition to confront the climate crisis and to leave all our children … a healthier and safer world.” As Regan said in an NPR article, roughly 7.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide, “equivalent to four years worth of the entire U.S. transportation sector” emissions could be eliminated with the new standards. Margo Oge, a former EPA official and the chair of the board of lab the following semester. “He has a very unique style of bringing people into his lab,” she said, explaining that each new student works one-on-one with him for their first semester as part of the lab. “The styles he chooses to mentor in was very compatible with the way that I want to interact with my professors,” she said.

The application process was “chaotic” due to the quick turnaround from the announcement of the program to the final deadline, Kawash-Cooper said. Rather than the most traditional resume and transcript, the application consisted solely of four essay questions. “It took a lot of self-discovery,” she said of the writing process. Professors, friends and family proved to be an important support system.

Both Desmond and Kawash-Cooper recommended the program to students interested in pursuing research or continuing existing lab work. “I think it’s a really great program,” Desmond commented, emphasizing the opportunities it provides to connect with other scientists. “I think that there is unfortunately an inaccessibility to research at Mount Holyoke,” Kawash-Cooper said, adding that while the program does not necessarily alleviate this concern, it provides alternative ways for students to engage in research.

Following their selection, both students must submit their research proposals to the Beckman Foundation for final approval, after which they will be considered official awardees.

Consent 101

BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT EDITOR

Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault and rape.

the International Council on Clean Transportation, has heralded the proposal as “the single most important regulatory initiative by the Biden administration … to really reduce the worst impacts of climate change,” NPR reported.

The new proposals will build on the momentum of increasing consumer interest in EVs. According to The Washington Post, fully electric cars comprised seven percent of new U.S. vehicle registrations in January, versus 4.1 percent from the prior year. Tom Van Heeke, a senior policy adviser at EV manufacturer Rivian Automotive, told The Washington Post, “the industry can’t sell them fast enough, as far as I can tell.” For this reason, the EPA believes that, despite the potential financial and infrastructural concerns raised by Burns and Rodgers, consumer support and their demonstrated willingness to invest in EVs will help smooth this transition into a greener future.

Senior Letter: Catelyn Fitzgerald

EDITOR

To the Mount Holyoke News staff, board and readers, I have had the honor of serving as a writer, editor and pro crossword maker for MHN throughout my four years at Mount Holyoke. I started writing for Mount Holyoke News in my first year of college. I hadn’t had any experience in the world of journalism, but I loved to write and I was starting to get the idea that I was pretty good at it. Nothing was more exciting (and scary) than the idea that for the first time, I had the opportunity to share my writing with other people. Joining the Environmental section was an easy choice, but I had no idea how integral it would become to my college journey. Environmental was a bit of an experiment when I first came on board as a writer, the section had just been created when I joined and it was a newsletter rather than part of the print publication. It has been an honor to watch the section evolve into S&E. My very first article for the news was on the Miller Worley Center’s Eco-Reps program. Still today my favorite articles to write are the ones that take place right here on campus. I am so grateful to have been able to gain wisdom and new perspectives from students, faculty and staff at the college, all under the guise of an interview. I never could have predicted the connections and opportunities that being part of the news brought me, my time here has truly impacted every aspect of my college experience. My time at MHN would not have been as great as it was without the support from my fellow editors, writers, friends and family. I offer my thanks in chronological order. Thank you to my parents, who not only literally put me into this world but have always been the biggest supporters of my writing and who read nearly every one of my articles. Thank you to Meryl, who started the Environmental section and was an incredible editor. Thank you to Emma, who joined the news not long after me and has since been my greatest source of support, a person who I can always rely on for a good rant or gossip session and has had so much tolerance for the millions of questions that I ask her about AP style rules. Thank you to my former co-editors Anoushka and Shira for your passion and enthusiasm for the news. It was such an honor to be able to watch you both grow in your roles and become incredible editors and leaders. Last but not least, thank you to the MHN eboard for always being S&E’s biggest fans.

There are so many things I will miss about the news. I will miss giggly moments during pitch, hours spent making layouts and connect- ing with people who I may not have met otherwise. I am also lucky to be taking a lot with me after I leave. I have become more confident in myself, more outgoing and hopefully a little smarter during my four years at MHC, and I am sure that the news played no small part in that.

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 81 percent of women and 43 percent of men have experienced a form of sexual assault or harassment in their lifetime. For female rape victims, a majority of incidences were perpetrated by an intimate partner. Consent has unique legal definitions that vary in different places and contexts, but in general refers to an agreement between people to engage in sexual activities, according to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network.

Under the law, there are three ways in which consent is usually assessed: affirmative consent, freely given consent and capacity to consent. RAINN explains that an affirmative expression of consent refers to parties saying “yes” to sexual activity through explicit words or actions rather than being passive or neutral. Freely given consent takes place only in the absence of “fraud, coercion, violence or the threat of violence.” Capacity to consent to sexual activity is affected by multiple factors; someone who is below legal age requirements has a mental or physical disability that incapacitates them, is a subordinate of the perpetrator, is considered a “vulnerable adult” or is intoxicated or unconscious may not be able to legally consent to sexual activity.

It is important that all parties consent each time sexual activity is performed. Consent is also reversible, meaning that it can be withdrawn at any time, according to Planned Parenthood. Consent should also be informed and specific, meaning that participants have a full understanding of the activities they consent to and are not assumed to consent to any other activities.

Anyone who wishes to speak to an expert about sexual assault and learn more about local resources and next steps can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit online resources such as RAINN.