The federal government issued the first regulations, after thirty years of debate, establishing greenhouse gas emissions standards for automobiles and light trucks. The new rules, jointly written by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, set emissions and mileage standards that will translate to a fleet average of 35.5 miles a gallon by 2016, a nearly 40 percent improvement over today’s average. There will be different mileage and emissions standards for different sizes of vehicles, and major manufacturers will have to meet increasingly stringent standards over the 2012-16 period. The program is expected to save the owner of an average 2016 car $3,000 in fuel costs over the life of the vehicle, and eliminate emissions of nearly a billion tons of climate-altering gases over the lives of the regulated vehicles. On the same day, the Obama administration, in partnership with the Department of Energy, also announced new efficiency standards for water heaters and direct heating equipment.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
US Issues New Federal Efficiency Standards for Vehicles and Heating
Similar Articles
- New Energy-Saving Lighting Standards
- EPA Steps In
- New York State to Update Building Energy Code Standards