Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy Standards to Address Light-Duty Vehicle Emissions
In the city of Philadelphia alone, motor vehicles account for almost 60% of total air pollution. One of Clean Air Council’s top priorities is to reduce the impact of vehicle emissions on air pollution. Thanks to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), cleaner air and more fuel efficient vehicles may be just around the corner.
The greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks will provide new standards to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improve fuel economy – lessening the threat of global warming. Daniel Weiss, the director of climate strategy at the Center for American Progress, stated in a Grist report that the new standards will “help move American off foreign oil, save families money and spur American businesses to take the lead in developing the job-creating, clean-energy technologies of the future.”
While various attempts to reduce vehicle emissions have been made since the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, for the first time the Obama administration, the automobile industry, autoworkers and environmentalists have all come to an agreement. The president commented on the proposal, stating, "for the first time in history, we have set in motion a national policy aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for all new trucks and cars."
The NHTSA is proposing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards which are projected to require, on an average industry fleet-wide basis for cars and trucks combined, 40.1 miles per gallon (mpg) in model year (MY) 2021, and 49.6 mpg in MY 2025. The CAFE standards are based on fuel economy-footprint curves, where each vehicle has a different fuel economy “target” depending on the square footage of the vehicles’ footprint (measured by the width and length of the vehicle). EPA’s proposed GHG standards, which are harmonized with NHTSA’s CAFE standards, are projected to require 163 grams/mile of carbon dioxide (CO2) in model year 2025. The agencies expect this level will be met through fuel economy improvements as well as reductions in other areas such as air conditioning leakage.
Light-duty vehicles make up 20 percent of carbon emissions and 40 percent of U.S. oil consumption. For this reason alone, the Council is pleased to see the Obama Administration making fuel efficiency a top priority for America. These standards would double the average fleet-wide fuel economy for passenger vehicles by 2025 - a plan that’s benefits far exceeds the costs. The new standard cuts greenhouse has emissions by approximately 900 million tons – equivalent to closing 194 coal plants.
What are the costs? Officials predict that consumers will pay approximately $1,300 more for each car under the new requirements, starting in 2016. However, the benefits to American consumers are substantial. According to the EPA fuel savings will far outweigh higher vehicle costs, and the net benefits to society of the MYs 2017 – 2025 National Program will be in the range of $311 billion to $421 billion over the lifetimes of those vehicles.
The Council supports the greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks – lowering emissions, reducing oil dependency, and putting money back into the pockets of the people. These standards are expected to save approximately 4 billion barrels of oil and 2 billion metric tons of GHG emissions over the lifetimes of those vehicles sold in model years 2017-2025.
These efforts are perhaps the best current tool at America’s disposal to begin addressing global warming. Philadelphia will host a public hearing on the greenhouse gas and fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks on January 19, 2012. Please join us and add your public comments in favor of this rule. For information on how to register click here: Philadelphia CAFE Public Hearing.
