EPA proposes CO2 standards for cars

Would reduce emissions 21%

Steve Hawley, Sep 18, 09.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have proposed the nation’s first standards to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, according to the EPA website.

The standards would mandate an average emissions level of no greater than 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile for light vehicles during model years 2012 to 2016. The agency estimates that the rule, which is roughly equivalent to 35.5 miles per gallon, will reduce automotive greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent by 2030, eliminating 950 metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution and saving 1.8 billion barrels of oil.

The program would cost roughly $60 billion to implement, but the agency estimates that the benefits will exceed $250 billion. In addition, consumers would save over $3,000 because of reduced gasoline consumption, despite a higher purchase price.

The EPA notes:

The light-duty vehicles subject to this proposed national program account for about 40 percent of all U.S. oil consumption.

Likewise, transportation sources represent a large and growing share of the U.S. greenhouse gases, and in 2006 they emitted 28 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gases and were the fastest-growing source of these gases in the U.S., accounting for 47 percent of the net increase in total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions from 1990-2006.

The Environmental Defense Fund immediately praised the proposed standards.

Detailed information is available at the EPA website.