EPA and NHTSA finalize emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks

In keeping with President Barack Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently finalized the greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

“Today’s ambitious but achievable announcement is a huge win for the American people, giving us cleaner air, more money saved at the pump, and real benefits for consumers across the supply chain,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. “Today’s action preserves flexibility for manufacturers to deliver on these objectives through a range of innovations and technology pathways.”

The two-phase program is projected to reduce CO2 emissions by 1.1 billion metric tons, reduce oil consumption by up to two billion barrels and save approximately $170 billion in fuel costs over the lifetime of vehicles sold under the standards. The final regulations are designed to encourage the use of existing technologies and promote the development of new ones.

“The actions we take today on climate change will help lessen the impacts on future generations,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said. “This next phase of standards for heavy- and medium-duty vehicles will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while driving innovation, and will ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in developing fuel-efficient technologies through the next decade and beyond.”