EPA & NHTSA Set Heavy-Duty Vehicle GHG & Fuel Consumption Standards
The Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have each issued final rules, effective November 14, 2011, to establish a comprehensive Heavy-Duty National Program that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption for onroad heavy-duty vehicles.
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The agencies states that this final rule responds to the President’s directive on May 21, 2010, to take coordinated steps to produce a new generation of clean vehicles. (See ITT’s Online Archives or 05/24/10 news, 10052412, for BP summary of the Presidential Memorandum.)
Emission Standards Start for MY 2014, Fuel Consumption Mandatory for MY 2016
EPA’s final greenhouse gas emission standards will begin with model year (MY) 2014. NHTSA’s final fuel consumption standards will be voluntary in model years 2014 and 2015, becoming mandatory with model year 2016 for most regulatory categories. Commercial trailers are not regulated in this phase of the Heavy-Duty National Program.
Affects Mnfrs and Importers of New Heavy Duty Engines and Specified Vehicles
This action affects companies that manufacture, sell, or import into the U.S. new heavy-duty engines and new Class 2b through 8 trucks, including combination tractors, school and transit buses, vocational vehicles such as utility service trucks, as well as 3⁄4-ton and 1-ton pickup trucks and vans.
The rules include separate standards for the engines that power combination tractors and vocational vehicles. Certain rules are exclusive to the EPA program. These include EPA’s final hydrofluorocarbon standards to control leakage from air conditioning systems in combination tractors, and pickup trucks and vans. These also include EPA’s final nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4) emissions standards that apply to all heavy-duty engines, pickup trucks and vans.
(See ITT's Online Archives or 12/01/10 news, 10120110, for BP summary of the proposed rule.)