EPA Proposes Decision on Vehicle Efficiency and Emissions Standards #CAFE #EPA

On November 30th, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed decision on fuel efficiency standards, also known as the CAFE standards, set by the Obama administration in 2012. The proposed decision keeps the fuel economy goals at their current level. These standards will reduce climate pollution by as much as 6 billion metric tons over the lifetimes of the vehicles sold in model years 2012-2025—the equivalent to carbon pollution from 150 typical coal-fired power plants for an entire year. Following this proposed decision is a 30-day public comment period.In response, Sierra Club Associate Director for Federal Advocacy Andrew Linhardt released the following statement:

“To keep our air clean and our climate safe, we need to put fuel efficiency standards in the fast lane. With transportation now leading as the largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S., cleaner cars are more important than ever before. The EPA’s proposed decision is the first stop on the roadmap to clean transportation. The Environmental Protection Agency’s draft technical review of the current fuel economy standards shows that these goals are reachable and working — due to technological innovation, our cars are cleaner and more efficient than ever before. We look forward to strengthening these standards further in the future and cleaning up our dirty transportation sector.”