This week, environmentalists cheered—while Republicans and the oil lobby sneered—and it was all part of business as usual on the Beltway as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed regulations requiring cleaner gasoline and lower-pollution cars and trucks nationwide in the United States.
The regulations announced by EPA would reduce the amount of sulfur in U.S. gasoline by 60 percent and impose fleetwide pollution limits on new vehicles by 2017. The agency promised that its plan would add less than a penny to the price of a gallon of gas and make the air cleaner for everyone, but foes of the measure said it would raise prices at the pump and unduly burden refineries.
Indeed, speaking to the Washington Post, Sen. David Vitter (R) of Louisiana, the ranking member on the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the administration had ignored the rule’s potential economic impacts, which “include importing more foreign energy, increasing our trade deficit and reducing our energy security.”
In return, Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (D-New York), a member of the same committee, released a statement of support: “The implementation of Tier 3 emission standards is a big step forward for Americans,” she said, adding, “More stringent emission standards would significantly decrease air pollution, create new jobs and increase worker’s economic productivity by reducing the number of sick days they take from lung and heart related ailments. We’ve cleared a crucial step in the process, and I will continue to urge the Administration to move quickly to finalize the rule this year”
Sensible Standards
The EPA characterized its proposed regulations as “sensible standards for cars and gasoline that will significantly reduce harmful pollution, prevent thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, [and facilitate] efficiency improvements in the cars and trucks we drive. “ Once fully in place, the agency said, the “standards will help avoid up to 2,400 premature deaths per year and 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children.”Specifically, the proposed standards would reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60 percent— down to 10 parts per million (ppm) in 2017. The EPA said its proposal would slash emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, establish a 70 percent tighter particulate matter standard, and reduce fuel vapor emissions to near zero. The proposal also would reduce vehicle emissions of toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and 1, 3-butadiene, by up to 40 percent.
EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe remarked, “The Obama Administration has taken a series of steps to reinvigorate the auto industry and ensure that the cars of tomorrow are cleaner, more efficient and saving drivers money at the pump and these common-sense cleaner fuels and cars standards are another example of how we can protect the environment and public health in an affordable and practical way. Today’s proposed standards – which will save thousands of lives and protect the most vulnerable -- are the next step in our work to protect public health and will provide the automotive industry with the certainty they need to offer the same car models in all 50 states.”
Reaching Consensus
Throughout the development of the proposal, the EPA met with representatives from the automotive and oil and gas industry as well as environmental, consumer advocacy and public health organizations. “Based on initial feedback from these groups and a thorough rulemaking process, EPA’s proposal is estimated to provide up to seven dollars in health benefits for every dollar spent to meet the standards, “the agency stated. “ The proposed sulfur standards will cost refineries less than a penny per gallon of gasoline on average once the standards are fully in place. The proposed vehicle standards will have an average cost of about $130 per vehicle in 2025. The proposal also includes flexibilities for small businesses, including hardship provisions and additional lead time for compliance.”
Mark MacLeod, director for Special Projects at the Environmental Defense Fund , commented, ““The new Tier 3 standards will make our cars cleaner, and that means we’ll have cleaner air to breathe. Reducing tailpipe pollution will provide healthier, longer lives for millions of Americans for less than a penny per gallon of gas. That’s why updating the standards has such broad support from U.S. auto makers, state health commissioners, and health advocates.”
Luke Tonachel, senior vehicles analyst for the Natural Resources Defense Council, observed, ““These common-sense standards will save lives, save money and clean up our air– all at a minimal cost. Big Oil companies want us to believe these benefits aren’t worth it. But that’s because they care about profits above all else.”
Once published in the Federal Register, the proposal will be available for public comment and EPA will hold public hearings to receive further public input. For information on EPA’s notice of proposed rulemaking, click here.
Edited by Amanda Ciccatelli