Last month the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed another initiative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The EPA, along with the Department of Transportation (DOT), announced the first national standards to reduce GHG emissions and improve fuel efficiency of heavy-duty trucks and buses.
The standards divide trucks into three basic categories – combination tractors, heavy-duty pickups/vans and vocational vehicles. The goals are to increase fuel efficiency to match the standards by the 2014 model year, and to decrease GHG emissions by the 2018 model year.
This program is expected to provide $41 billion in net benefits over the lifetime of model year 2014 – 2018 vehicles.
“Through new fuel-efficiency standards for trucks and buses, we will not only reduce transportation’s environmental impact, we’ll reduce the cost of transporting freight,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “This is a win-win-win for the environment, businesses and the American consumer.”
This program is one in a series of steps to develop a new generation of clean, fuel efficient American vehicles. Both the EPA and DOT believe that this program can benefit the environment, business, the consumer and the operators. To learn more about this proposal and the 60-day comment period visit:
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