(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) NHTSA, on behalf of the Department of Transportation, is proposing revised fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks for model years 2024-2026.
On January 20, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order (EO) 13990, “Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis.” In it, the President directed that “The Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule for Model Years 2021-2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks” (hereafter, “the 2020 final rule”) be immediately reviewed for consistency with our Nation’s abiding commitment to empower our workers and communities; promote and protect our public health and the environment; and conserve our national treasures and monuments, places that secure our national memory.
President Biden further directed that the 2020 final rule be reviewed at once and that (in this case) the Secretary of Transportation consider “suspending, revising, or rescinding” it, via a new proposal, by July 2021. Because of the President’s direction in the EO, NHTSA reexamined the 2020 final rule under its authority to set CAFE standards. In doing so, NHTSA tentatively concluded that the fuel economy standards set in 2020 should be revised so that they increase at a rate of 8 percent year over year for each model year from 2024 through 2026, for both passenger cars and light trucks. This responds to the agency’s statutory mandate to improve energy conservation. This proposal also makes certain minor changes to fuel economy reporting requirements.
DATES:
Comments: Written comments must be received on or before September 27, 2021.
Public Hearing: EPA plans to hold a virtual public hearing on August 25, 2021. An additional session may be held on August 26th if necessary to accommodate the number of testifiers that sign-up to testify. Please refer to the separate Federal Register notice issued by EPA for public hearing details. The hearing notice is available at https://www.epa.gov/regulations-emissions-vehicles-and-engines/proposed-rule-revise-existing-national-ghg-emissions.
ADDRESSES:
You may send comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0208, by any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov/ (our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
- Email: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov. Include Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0208 in the subject line of the message.
- Mail: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, OAR, Docket EPA-HQ-OAR-2021-0208, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460.
- Hand Delivery or Courier (by scheduled appointment only): EPA Docket Center, WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket Center's hours of operations are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday (except Federal Holidays).
...
The proposed amended CAFE standards would increase in stringency from MY 2023 levels by 8 percent per year, for both passenger cars and light trucks over MYs 2024-2026.
NHTSA tentatively concludes that this level is maximum feasible for these model years, as discussed in more detail in Section VI, and seeks comment on that conclusion. The proposal considers a range of regulatory alternatives, consistent with NHTSA’s obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Executive Order 12866. While EO 13990 directed the review of CAFE standards for MYs 2021-2026, statutory lead time requirements mean that the soonest model year that can currently be amended in the CAFE program is MY 2024. The proposed standards would remain vehicle footprint-based, like the CAFE standards in effect since MY 2011. Recognizing that many readers think about CAFE standards in terms of the mpg values that the standards are projected to eventually require, NHTSA currently projects that the proposed standards would require, on an average industry fleet-wide basis, roughly 48 miles per gallon (mpg) in MY 2026. NHTSA notes both that real-world fuel economy is generally 20-30 percent lower than the estimated required CAFE level stated above, and also that the actual CAFE standards are the footprint target curves for passenger cars and light trucks, meaning that ultimate fleet-wide levels will vary depending on the mix of vehicles that industry produces for sale in those model years. Table I-1 shows the incremental differences in stringency levels for passenger cars and light trucks, by regulatory alternative, in the model years subject to regulation.
...
This proposal is significantly different from the conclusion that NHTSA reached in the 2020 final rule, but this is because important facts have changed, and because NHTSA has reconsidered how to balance the relevant statutory considerations in light of those facts. NHTSA tentatively concludes that significantly more stringent standards are maximum feasible.
Contrary to the 2020 final rule, NHTSA recognizes that the need of the United States to conserve energy must include serious consideration of the energy security risks of continuing to consume oil, which more stringent fuel economy standards can reduce. Reducing our nation’s climate impacts can also benefit our national security. Additionally, at least part of the automobile industry appears increasingly convinced that improving fuel economy and reducing GHG emissions is a growth market for them, and that the market rewards investment in advanced technology. Nearly all auto manufacturers have announced forthcoming new higher fuel-economy and electric vehicle models, and five major manufacturers voluntarily bound themselves to stricter GHG requirements than set forth by NHTSA and EPA in 2020 through contractual agreements with the State of California, which will result in their achieving fuel economy levels well above the standards set forth in the 2020 final rule.
These companies are sophisticated, for-profit enterprises. If they are taking these steps, NHTSA can be more confident than the agency was in 2020 that the market is getting ready to make the leap to significantly higher fuel economy. The California Framework and the clear planning by industry to migrate toward more advanced fuel economy technologies are evidence of the practicability of more stringent standards.
Moreover, more stringent CAFE standards will help to encourage industry to continue improving the fuel economy of all vehicles, rather than simply producing a few electric vehicles, such that all Americans can benefit from higher fuel economy and save money on fuel.
NHTSA cannot consider the fuel economy of dedicated alternative fuel vehicles like battery electric vehicles when determining maximum feasible standards, but the fact that industry increasingly appears to believe that there is a market for these vehicles is broader evidence of market (and consumer) interest in fuel economy, which is relevant to NHTSA’s determination of whether more stringent standards would be economically practicable. For all of these reasons, NHTSA tentatively concludes that standards that increase at 8 percent per year are maximum feasible.
This proposal is also different from the 2020 final rule in that it is issued by NHTSA alone, and EPA has issued a separate proposal. The primary reason for this is the difference in statutory authority – EPA does not have the same lead time requirements as NHTSA and is thus able to amend MY 2023 in addition to MYs 2024-2026. An important consequence of this is that EPA’s proposed rate of stringency increase, after taking a big leap in MY 2023, looks slower
than NHTSA’s over the same time period.
NHTSA emphasizes, however, that the proposed standards are what NHTSA believes best fulfills our statutory directive of energy conservation, and in the context of the EPA standards, the analysis we have done is tackling the core question of whether compliance with both standards should be achievable with the same vehicle fleet, after manufacturers fully understand the requirements from both proposals. The differences in what the two agencies’ standards require become smaller each year, until alignment is achieved.
While NHTSA recognizes that the last several CAFE standard rulemakings have been issued jointly with EPA, and that issuing separate proposals represents a change in approach, the agencies worked together to avoid inconsistencies and to create proposals that would continue to allow manufacturers to build a single fleet of vehicles to meet both agencies’ proposed standards.
Additionally, and importantly, NHTSA has also considered and accounted for California’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program (and its adoption by a number of other states) in developing the baseline for this proposal, and has accounted for the aforementioned “Framework Agreements” between California and BMW, Ford, Honda, VWA, and Volvo, which are national level GHG standards to which these companies committed for several model years.
A number of other improvements and updates have been made to the analysis since the 2020 final rule. Table I-2 summarizes these, and they are discussed in much more detail below and in the documents accompanying this preamble.
...
Table I-13 – Incentives that Encourage Alternative Fuel Vehicles
...
49 U.S.C. 32905(b), (d), and (e); 32906(a)
Fuel economy calculated using 50% operation on alt fuel and 50% on gasoline through MY 2019. Starting with MY 2020, NHTSA uses the SAE defined "Utility Factor" methodology to account for actual potential use, and “F-factor” for FFV; NHTSA will continue to incorporate the 0.15 incentive factor READ MORE
The Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Steven S. Cliff, Ph.D., signed the following Proposed Rule on August 5, 2021, which the agency is submitting for publication in the Federal Register. While NHTSA has taken steps to ensure the accuracy of this Internet version of the Proposed Rule, it is not the official version of the Proposed Rule. Please refer to the official version in a forthcoming Federal Register publication, which will appear on the Government Printing Office's FDSys website (www.gpo.gov/fdsys/search/home.action) and on Regulations.gov (http://www.regulations.gov) in Docket No. NHTSA-2021-0053. Once the official version is published in the Federal Register, this version will be removed from the Internet and replaced with a link to the official version. READ MORE
UPDATED August 23, 2021 with information about public comments.
More than 50,000 articles in our online library!
Use the categories and tags listed below to access the nearly 50,000 articles indexed on this website.
Advanced Biofuels USA Policy Statements and Handouts!
- For Kids: Carbon Cycle Puzzle Page
- Why Ethanol? Why E85?
- Just A Minute 3-5 Minute Educational Videos
- 30/30 Online Presentations
- “Disappearing” Carbon Tax for Non-Renewable Fuels
- What’s the Difference between Biodiesel and Renewable (Green) Diesel? 2020 revision
- How to De-Fossilize Your Fleet: Suggestions for Fleet Managers Working on Sustainability Programs
- New Engine Technologies Could Produce Similar Mileage for All Ethanol Fuel Mixtures
- Action Plan for a Sustainable Advanced Biofuel Economy
- The Interaction of the Clean Air Act, California’s CAA Waiver, Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, Renewable Fuel Standards and California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard
- Latest Data on Fuel Mileage and GHG Benefits of E30
- What Can I Do?
Donate
DonateARCHIVES
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- June 2007
- February 2007
- January 2007
- October 2006
- April 2006
- January 2006
- April 2005
- December 2004
- November 2004
- December 1987
CATEGORIES
- About Us
- Advanced Biofuels Call to Action
- Aviation Fuel/Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
- BioChemicals/Renewable Chemicals
- BioRefineries/Renewable Fuel Production
- Business News/Analysis
- Cooking Fuel
- Education
- 30/30 Online Presentations
- Competitions, Contests
- Earth Day 2021
- Earth Day 2022
- Earth Day 2023
- Earth Day 2024
- Executive Training
- Featured Study Programs
- Instagram TikTok Short Videos
- Internships
- Just a Minute
- K-12 Activities
- Mechanics training
- Online Courses
- Podcasts
- Scholarships/Fellowships
- Teacher Resources
- Technical Training
- Technician Training
- University/College Programs
- Events
- Coming Events
- Completed Events
- More Coming Events
- Requests for Speakers, Presentations, Posters
- Requests for Speakers, Presentations, Posters Completed
- Webinars/Online
- Webinars/Online Completed; often available on-demand
- Federal Agency/Executive Branch
- Agency for International Development (USAID)
- Agriculture (USDA)
- Commerce Department
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- Congressional Budget Office
- Defense (DOD)
- Air Force
- Army
- DARPA (Defense Advance Research Projects Agency)
- Defense Logistics Agency
- Marines
- Navy
- Education Department
- Energy (DOE)
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
- Federal Reserve System
- Federal Trade Commission
- Food and Drug Administration
- General Services Administration
- Government Accountability Office (GAO)
- Health and Human Services (HHS)
- Homeland Security
- Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
- Interior Department
- International Trade Commission
- Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
- Justice (DOJ)
- Labor Department
- National Academy of Sciences
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- National Research Council
- National Science Foundation
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- Overseas Private Investment Corporation
- Patent and Trademark Office
- Securities and Exchange Commission
- State Department
- Surface Transportation Board
- Transportation (DOT)
- Federal Aviation Administration
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin (PHMSA)
- Treasury Department
- U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
- White House
- Federal Legislation
- Federal Litigation
- Federal Regulation
- Feedstocks
- Agriculture/Food Processing Residues nonfield crop
- Alcohol/Ethanol/Isobutanol
- Algae/Other Aquatic Organisms/Seaweed
- Atmosphere
- Carbon Dioxide (CO2)
- Field/Orchard/Plantation Crops/Residues
- Forestry/Wood/Residues/Waste
- hydrogen
- Manure
- Methane/Biogas
- methanol/bio-/renewable methanol
- Not Agriculture
- RFNBO (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin)
- Seawater
- Sugars
- water
- Funding/Financing/Investing
- grants
- Green Jobs
- Green Racing
- Health Concerns/Benefits
- Heating Oil/Fuel
- History of Advanced Biofuels
- Infrastructure
- Aggregation
- Biofuels Engine Design
- Biorefinery/Fuel Production Infrastructure
- Carbon Capture/Storage/Use
- certification
- Deliver Dispense
- Farming/Growing
- Precursors/Biointermediates
- Preprocessing
- Pretreatment
- Terminals Transport Pipelines
- International
- Abu Dhabi
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- Albania
- Algeria
- Angola
- Antarctica
- Argentina
- Armenia
- Aruba
- Asia
- Asia Pacific
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Beliz
- Benin
- Bermuda
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Bulgaria
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Canada
- Caribbean
- Central African Republic
- Central America
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Colombia
- Congo, Democratic Republic of
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cuba
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Dubai
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eqypt
- Estonia
- Ethiopia
- European Union (EU)
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- French Guiana
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Global South
- Greece
- Greenland
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- Iceland
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Ivory Coast
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jersey
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Korea
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Latin America
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Middle East
- Monaco
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Mozambique
- Myanmar/Burma
- Namibia
- Nepal
- Netherlands
- New Guinea
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- Nigeria
- North Africa
- North Korea
- Northern Ireland
- Norway
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Russia
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- Scotland
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Sierra Leone
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South America
- South Korea
- South Sudan
- Southeast Asia
- Spain
- Sri Lanka
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Swaziland
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- Uganda
- UK (United Kingdom)
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates UAE
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Vatican
- Venezuela
- Vietnam
- Wales
- Zambia
- Zanzibar
- Zimbabwe
- Marine/Boat Bio and Renewable Fuel/MGO/MDO/SMF
- Marketing/Market Forces and Sales
- Opinions
- Organizations
- Original Writing, Opinions Advanced Biofuels USA
- Policy
- Presentations
- Biofuels Digest Conferences
- DOE Conferences
- Bioeconomy 2017
- Bioenergy2015
- Biomass2008
- Biomass2009
- Biomass2010
- Biomass2011
- Biomass2012
- Biomass2013
- Biomass2014
- DOE Project Peer Review
- Other Conferences/Events
- R & D Focus
- Carbon Capture/Storage/Use
- Co-Products
- Feedstock
- Logistics
- Performance
- Process
- Vehicle/Engine/Motor/Aircraft/Boiler
- Yeast
- Railroad/Train/Locomotive Fuel
- Resources
- Books Web Sites etc
- Business
- Definition of Advanced Biofuels
- Find Stuff
- Government Resources
- Scientific Resources
- Technical Resources
- Tools/Decision-Making
- Rocket/Missile Fuel
- Sponsors
- States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawai'i
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Midwest
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Native American tribal nation lands
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
- West Coast
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Sustainability
- Uncategorized
- What You Can Do
tags
© 2008-2023 Copyright Advanced BioFuels USA. All Rights reserved.
Comments are closed.