Chicago, IL—President Obama will
announce today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and
Department of Transportation will establish a uniform federal standard
to reduce global warming pollution from cars and light trucks and
improve vehicle efficiency. The standard, which will be the first ever
federal global warming standard for vehicles, will largely mirror the
standard already adopted by California
and 13 other states.
“We’re thrilled by
this announcement to put cleaner cars on the road. President Obama is
proving himself behind the wheel in the race to a clean energy economy.
This historic action will reduce our nation’s dependence on oil, save
consumers money at the pump, and cut global warming pollution. This is
what leadership looks like,” said Environment Illinois Program Director
Max Muller.
The standard will
reduce global warming pollution from new vehicles by 30 percent and
achieve an average fuel economy of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 – four
years earlier than under current law. According to the White House, the
program will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil and reduce global warming
pollution by 900 million metric tons, which is equivalent to
eliminating the pollution from 177 million of today’s cars or 194 coal
plants.
“Environment Illinois
applauds the 14 states that spearheaded the drive for cleaner cars. We
wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for their trailblazing efforts to
reduce our oil dependence and work to solve global warming,” said
Muller.
BACKGROUND:
- Passenger vehicles
are the second largest source of global warming pollution nationwide.
- The Clean Air Act
allows (1) California to set auto
emission standards that are stronger than federal standards (no such
standards currently exist); and (2) other states to adopt California’s
auto emission standards.
- In 2005, California
adopted first-of-their-kind standards requiring cars and light-duty
trucks to limit their global warming pollution. A total of 13 other
states—Arizona, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Vermont, and Washington—have adopted the tailpipe standards.
- Several additional
states, including Illinois,
are actively considering adopting the standards. Illinois pending bills to adopt the
standards are sponsored by State Representative Karen May and State
Senator Jackie Collins.
-
In 2007, Congress
passed the first increase in fuel economy standards in 32 years; those
standards require an average fuel economy of 35 mile-per-gallon by
2020.
