Trucks and buses will be more efficient, less polluting

Environment America

WASHINGTON, DC – Eighteen-wheelers, school and transit buses, and other large vehicles will be more efficient and less polluting, reducing carbon emissions by  1.1 billion metric tons and oil consumption by up to two billion barrels, according to a rule finalized today by the Obama administration.
 
The move is the latest salvo by the Obama administration against global warming pollution. It comes as the transportation sector bypasses coal and gas-fired power plants as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
 
The rule comes after submission of 229,288 supportive public comments and 140 mayors, city councilors, and fleet managers from across the country submitted a letterto support the strongest possible standards. Signed by officials representing some pockets of America most vulnerable to global warming—from Shishmaref, Alaska to South Miami, Florida—the letter called the proposed truck standards “an important pathway for progress in making our air healthier to breathe while safeguarding the climate.”

The finalized standards – expected to cut carbon pollution by 1.1 billion metric tons – will help the U.S. meet its commitment in Paris to avoid the most dangerous impacts global warming, already foreshadowed recently by record heat and more frequent extreme weather events.
 
“Thanks to President Obama’s leadership, global warming pollution from power plants is on the decline,” said Aminah Zaghab, Global Warming Solutions advocate with Environment America. “But as transportation emissions continue to rise, measures like this rule are critical to cut transportation pollution and avert the worst impacts of global warming.”

The broad range of larger vehicles impacted by the rule, from dump trucks to shuttle buses, account for 10 percent of the vehicles on the nation’s roads and a fifth of the pollution. Their emissions are expected to surpass that of passenger cars and trucks by the end of the next decade.
 
Cars, pickup trucks, and the like remain the largest source of pollution within the transportation sector for the time being, and the Obama administration has already required them to go farther on a gallon of gas. Those standards– which made a host of ever-more efficient autos available to consumers – were recently found to be effective in both reducing pollution and saving money.
 
Similarly, dramatically more efficient heavy duty vehicles are expected to save semi-truck operators thousands per year on fuel, reducing freight costs and helping to lower the price of consumer goods.
 
“This common-sense step forward on climate will reduce pollution, lower oil consumption, and save money,” said Zaghab.