The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday a new set of fuel emission standards for work trucks, vans and over-the-road semi-trucks under the guise of protecting the climate.
The new standards, released by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), will affect engine performance standards for truck model years 2018-2027, and for semi-trucks, large pickup trucks, vans, and all types and sizes of buses and work trucks.
The EPA and NHTSA said the new rules will also lower carbon emission levels by 1.1 billion metric tons, save vehicle owners $170 billion, and ratchet down oil consumption by two billion barrels over a vehicle’s lifetime.
The agency also claimed the rules will provide $230 billion in societal benefits, including benefits to our climate. The benefits will also outweigh costs by about an eight to one ratio.
“These standards will not only benefit our climate, but also modernize America’s trucking fleet, cut costs for truckers, and help ensure the U.S trucking industry is a global leader in fuel efficient heavy duty vehicle technology,” EPA’s head administrator, Gina McCarthy, said in a press statement announcing the rule.
McCarthy does admit the regulations will likely increase the cost for a new truck, but suggested the additional cost would be “recouped within 2-4 years, saving truck owners more over the long haul.”
The new rules come after a report titled Technical Assessment Report (TAR) conducted in July by the EPA, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), which, according to a press statement from the EPA, shows that manufacturers of light-duty vehicles, “are innovating and bringing new technology to market at a rapid pace, and that they will be able to meet the MY 2022-2025 standards established in the 2012 rulemaking with a wide range of cost-effective technologies.”
While the EPA sounded a positive note about the report, the energy industry is reacting with more pessimism.
This is just another example of the Obama administration and Washington insiders getting together and carving out business-killing regulations, Thomas Pyle, president of Institute for Energy Research (IER), said in a press statement shortly after the rules were made official.
“These sorts of heavy-duty trucks are owned and operated by companies that have every incentive to save money on fuel,” Pyle said, adding that, “This means fewer jobs and lower wages for American workers. The rule will have very little impact on global temperatures, but will add yet another layer of expensive government red tape.”
IER argued at the time of the TAR report that the emission rules are already too onerous.
Daniel Simmons, vice president for policy at the group, told The Daily Caller News Foundation in July that the regulators’ midterm evaluation report’s findings are not surprising. The Obama administration is purposely attempting to hurt the automotive industry, he said.
“The Ford F-150 is the most popular vehicle on the market to date,” Simmons said. “Ford has spent more than $1 billion to get the truck into compliance, yet it is still not in full compliance. So it’s ridiculous to believe that car companies not named Ford will be able to meet new, more stringent standards.”
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