Tuesday, August 16, 2016

New Rules Require Heavy-Duty Trucks to Reduce Emissions by 25% Over the Next Decade - The New York Times

New emissions standards could save the trucking industry an estimated $170 billion in fuel costs through 2027, the federal government said on Tuesday. (Credit: Fred R. Conrad for The New York Times) Click to Enlarge.
The Obama administration on Tuesday issued aggressive new emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks — rules that are expected to achieve better fuel efficiency and a bigger cut in pollution than the version first proposed last year.

Officials said the new standards would require up to a 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions for big tractor-trailers over the next 10 years, and somewhat smaller improvements for delivery trucks, school buses and other large vehicles.

Over all, administration officials said the new rules would cut 1.1 billion tons of carbon emissions through 2027 and represent a global benchmark for reducing vehicle-exhaust pollutants linked to climate change.

The carbon-reduction target is 10 percent more than when the rules were proposed last year, and was made tougher after a public comment period.

“We are way out ahead of any other country,” said Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said the trucking industry would save an estimated $170 billion in fuel costs through 2027.

Currently, heavy trucks average about six miles per gallon in fuel consumption.  While there was no specific target released for industrywide fuel economy, the standards call for significant reductions in emissions beyond the first phase of rules that were enacted in 2014.

It will be up to engine and truck-tractor makers to determine how to meet the new standards, using various technologies to improve fuel economy and reduce carbon emissions.
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Heavy-duty trucks are the fastest growing segment of the American transportation sector in terms of fossil-fuel consumption, and account for about 20 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions — despite making up only 5 percent of the vehicles on the road.

The Obama administration has already mandated big increases in fuel economy for passenger cars and trucks.  The government recently affirmed its target of 54.5 miles per gallon as a fleetwide average by 2025.

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1 comment:

  1. The newly set standards would hopefully somehow reach the Philippines. I do hope that this trucking services in the Philippines is making efforts to make earth a good place to live.

    ReplyDelete