Fact #589: September 21, 2009 Proposed Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

On September 15, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly announced a proposal to establish national standards for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). The standards would apply to model year 2012 – 2016 passenger cars and light trucks and are based on the vehicle footprint, which is related to the vehicle size. Thus, the standards for vehicles with a large footprint would be different than for a vehicle with a smaller footprint.

The proposal and information about how to submit comments on the proposed standards can be found on both EPA and NHTSA websites.

Projected Emissions Compliance Levels under the Proposed Carbon Dioxide Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks

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Projected Fuel Economy Levels under the Proposed Standards for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks Combined

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Note: Greenhouse gases other than carbon dioxide are dealt with separately in the proposed rules.

Supporting Information

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