Truck Fuel Efficiency Standards Launched
Administration announces program to save fuel costs and reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Compiled by staff
Published: Aug 10, 2011
The Obama Administration has announced the first-ever fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas pollution standards for heavy duty vehicles. The standards, developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency, require trucks and buses built in 2014 through 2018 to reduce oil consumption by an estimated 530 million barrels and GHG pollution by nearly 270 million metric tons.
Cost savings for businesses are on top of the $1.7 trillion families will save at the pump from the standards for cars and light duty trucks President Obama announced in July. The standards also are expected to yield $50 billion in benefits over the life of 2014 to 2018 model year vehicles while also resulting in long-term savings for vehicle owners and operators.
"While we were working to improve the efficiency of cars and light-duty trucks, something interesting happened," said President Obama. "We started getting letters asking that we do the same for medium and heavy-duty trucks. They were from the people who build, buy, and drive these trucks. And today, I'm proud to have the support of these companies as we announce the first-ever national policy to increase fuel efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas pollution from medium and heavy-duty trucks."
The program will have various targets specific to the different types of vehicles and their purposes. There will be three vehicle categories, combination tractors, heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans and vocational vehicles. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson says the Administration is committed to protecting the air everyone breathes and cutting carbon pollution. Jackson says programs like this ensure those priorities are served and dependence on imported oil is reduced. She says more efficient trucks on the highways and less pollution will provide a wide range of benefits to Americans' health, the environment and the nation's economy. For more information, visit www.epa.gov.
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Tagged: EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, tractors
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