This is long overdue.
The Obama administration announced new rules [last week] to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants by requiring greater fuel efficiency for big trucks, buses and other heavy-duty vehicles starting with 2014 models.
The regulations, the first of their kind, call for a 20% reduction in heavy-vehicle emissions by 2018, which would require boosting fuel efficiency to an average of 8 miles per gallon, compared with 6 mpg now, experts estimate.
Trucks and other heavy vehicles make up only 4% of the U.S. vehicle fleet, but given the distance they travel, the time they spend idling and their low fuel efficiency, they consume 20% of all vehicle fuel, said Don Anair, a senior analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists’ clean vehicles program.
The standards, issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department, are the latest in a series of measures designed to chip away at greenhouse gas emissions at a time when a sharply divided Congress has been in a stalemate over climate change legislation.
“These new standards are another step in our work to develop a new generation of clean, fuel-efficient American vehicles that will improve our environment and strengthen our economy,” EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said in a telephone news conference.
“In addition to cutting greenhouse gas pollution, greater fuel economy will shrink fuel costs for small businesses that depend on pickups and heavy-duty vehicles, shipping companies and cities and towns with fleets of these vehicles,” she said.
It’s a pretty fat target, that’s for sure. I’m moderately surprised there wasn’t more of a fuss about this; the story notes that truck manufacturers were consulted on this, but still. While this sort of approach isn’t necessarily the most effective way to reduce fuel consumption, it’s still pretty useful. Now let’s do something about the more obviously noxious of their emissions – you know, the stuff that makes you cough and gag when you get stuck behind a semi on a freeway on-ramp, even with your windows closed. What’s the plan for that?