SAFETEA-LU extended through March 4th
December 21,2010 SAFETEA-LU and funding for federal agencies has been extended through March 4th, when reauthorization will be 18 months past-due
President Obama's National Fuel Efficiency Policy
On May 15, 2009, President Obama set in motion a new national policy aimed at both increasing fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas pollution for all new cars and trucks sold in the United States. The new standards, covering model years 2012-2016, and ultimately requiring an average fuel economy standard of 35.5 mpg in 2016, are projected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program with a fuel economy gain averaging more than 5 percent per year and a reduction of approximately 900 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions. This would surpass the CAFE law passed by Congress in 2007 required an average fuel economy of 35 mpg in 2020.
This groundbreaking policy delivers on the President’s commitment to enact more stringent fuel economy standards and represents an unprecedented collaboration between the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the world’s largest auto manufacturers, the United Auto Workers, leaders in the environmental community, the State of California, and other state governments.
A national policy on fuel economy standards and greenhouse gas emissions is welcomed by the auto manufacturers because it provides regulatory certainty and predictability and includes flexibilities that will significantly reduce the cost of compliance. The collaboration of federal agencies also allows for clearer rules for all automakers, instead of three standards (DOT, EPA and a state standard).
To view the Interim Joint Technical Assessment Report (U.S. EPA, NHTSA, ARB) for Greenhose Gas and CAFE standards for the years 2017 - 2025, click here.
The Clean Air Act (CAA)
The 1990 Clean Air Act is the most recent version of a law first passed in 1970 to clean up air pollution. The Clean Air Act takes a comprehensive approach to reducing pollution from mobile sources by requiring manufacturers to build cleaner engines; refiners to produce cleaner fuels; and certain areas with air pollution problems to adopt and run passenger vehicle inspection and maintenance programs. The EPA has issued a series of regulations affecting passenger cars, diesel trucks and buses, and so-called "nonroad" equipment (recreational vehicles, lawn and garden equipment, etc.) that will dramatically reduce emissions as people buy new vehicles and equipment.
The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA)
Signed on December 19, 2007 by President Bush, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA) aims to: move the United States toward greater energy independence and security; increase the production of clean renewable fuels; protect consumers; increase the efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles; promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options; improve the energy performance of the Federal Government; and increase U.S. energy security, develop renewable fuel production, and improve vehicle fuel economy.
Among several climate-related provisions, the Act increases the federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. The new standards require new passenger vehicles to achieve, on average, a fuel economy of 35 miles per gallon by 2020; National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), under the U.S. DOT, is responsible for undertaking a rule-making process to set the standards.
