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US Approves New Emissions And Fuel Economy Standards

A historic moment for the US automotive industry, and not only, took place on Fool's Day in the United States: the first-ever national greenhouse gas emissions standards and the new fuel economy standards for all new passenger cars and light trucks have been approved, after the coordinated effort of the administration, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Environmental Protection Agency and the NHTSA.

According to the new regulations, all automakers are required to improve fleet-wide fuel economy and reduce fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions by approximately five percent every year, starting with 2012. By 2016, all vehicles should have a fuel economy rating of 35.5 mpg and average vehicle emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile.

“These are the first national standards ever to address climate change,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy. “Over the coming years, America will witness an amazing leap forward in vehicle technologies, delivering fuel efficiency that will save us money
and protect the environment.”


The measures approved yesterday will reportedly save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles. This means net savings of $3,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle and the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by about 960 million metric tons.

“We are delivering on our mission and President Obama’s call for a strong and coordinated national policy for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles, and we will do so in a way that does not compromise safety,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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