President Obama Moves to Create Emissions and Fuel Economy Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks
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Scott Baumgartner, 202-222-0751, [email protected]
Danielle Fugere, 415-544-0790 x215, [email protected]
President Obama Moves To Create Emissions and Fuel Economy Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Trucks
Executive order also extends federal fuel economy and emissions rules, supports electric vehicle infrastructure
Washington, DC — Today, President Obama issued an executive order directing the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation to develop fuel economy and emissions rules for medium- and heavy-duty trucks for the first time. The order also extends current federal fuel economy and emissions regulations for cars and light-duty trucks through 2025 and supports the development of an infrastructure for electric cars.
Friends of the Earth regional program director Danielle Fugere had the following response:
“President Obama took an important and long-overdue step today. Medium- and heavy-duty trucks use more than two million barrels of oil per day. The president’s action will not only reduce our dependence on oil, but will dramatically reduce the air pollution associated with these trucks. In combination with the extension of standards on light-duty vehicles, these actions will help avoid climate change.
“Transportation alone accounts for three out of every five barrels of oil we consume in the United States. By tightening U.S. fuel economy standards, expanding them to more vehicles, and by supporting the development of electric cars, we can reduce our demand for oil and make unnecessary dangerous and dirty practices such as the offshore drilling that led to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.”
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