US and Canada finalise rules to cut greenhouse emissions from road vehicles
Thu 01 April 2010
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The US and Canada have finalised the details of their first rules to crack down on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from road vehicles and have also strengthened fuel efficiency standards. The rules form part of President Obama's aim of cutting GHG emissions 17 percent by 2020.
The new standards will require 2016 model-year vehicles to meet a fuel efficiency target of 35.5 miles per gallon — or 6.6 L/100 km — combined for cars and trucks, an increase of nearly 10 miles per gallon over current standards. The average Canadian car now consumes 8.6 litres of fuel per 100 kilometres.
The rules, which will be phased in from 2011/12, should reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles by 25 per cent in 2016 compared with 2008 models.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says that the program will add about $52 billion in vehicle costs, but benefits should be worth $240 billion. The savings will come in the form of lower fuel bills and in reduced health care costs as particulate emissions fall.
The U.S. rule will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and 960 million metric tons of carbon emissions over the life of vehicles, equivalent to taking 58 million cars off the road for a year, the EPA added.
The US and Canada are also reported to be working together on proposed standards for tractor-trailer trucks, which should be released in the next few months.
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