WASHINGTON, March 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency said on Wednesday it is starting efforts to

reverse the Biden administration's vehicle emissions rules that

would force automakers to build a rising number of electric

vehicles.

The action is the latest in the Trump administration's

sweeping moves to undo the prior administration's efforts to

prod automakers to build electric vehicles after rescinding a

push to make EVs at least 50% of new vehicles by 2030.

The EPA

said it would reconsider the agency's 2024 rules that would

cut passenger vehicle fleetwide tailpipe emissions by nearly 50%

by 2032 compared with 2027 projected levels. The EPA has

forecast that between 35% and 56% of new vehicles sold between

2030 and 2032 would need to be electric in order to comply and

has won support from Ford Motor ( F ).

The EPA said it is also reconsidering a 2022 regulation that

aims to drastically cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from

heavy-duty trucks, saying the rule makes trucks more expensive.

The 2022 standards are 80% more stringent

than prior standards and the agency estimated the rule

would result in up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths annually, 1.1

million fewer lost school days for children and $29 billion in

annual net benefits.

The EPA in February

submitted the Biden administration's

approval of California's landmark plan to end the sale of

gasoline-only vehicles by 2035 to Congress for review and

possible repeal, but a government agency

said last week

the decision is not reviewable.

Congress separately is considering

efforts to repeal EV tax credits.

In January, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy moved to

rescind fuel economy standards issued under Biden that aimed to

drastically reduce fuel use for cars and trucks. He has also

frozen funding to states for EV

charging.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in

June said it would hike Corporate Average Fuel Economy

requirements to about 50.4 miles per gallon (4.67 liters per 100

km) by 2031 from 39.1 mpg currently for light-duty vehicles.

Duffy also directed NHTSA to reconsider rules for heavy-duty

pickup trucks and vans through 2035.

NHTSA said in June the rule for passenger cars and

trucks would reduce gasoline consumption by 64 billion gallons

through 2050 and cut emissions by 659 million metric tons. It

said while some vehicles would be more expensive to buy,

consumers would save on fuel costs and estimated net benefits of

$35.2 billion.