Obama Administration Proposes Improving Fuel Efficiency of Heavy Duty Trucks

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation proposed fuel efficiency standards for heavy duty vehicles. While the standards vary depending on vehicle type, the proposed rule would increase fuel economy standards for these vehicles by 2027. The EPA predicts that the proposed rule would cut greenhouse gas emissions by about 1 billion metric tons and save about $170 billion over the lifetime of the vehicles. These heavy duty trucks account for only four percent of the traffic on the road, but are responsible for roughly 25 percent of total on-road vehicle emissions. Today's proposal is the second phase of President Obama's plan to address emissions from the nation's largest vehicles.

Friends of the Earth Climate and Energy Campaigner Kate DeAngelis offers the following response to today's announcement:

President Obama has shown leadership by strengthening fuel standards for the dirtiest vehicles on the road. These standards will help clean up our air and reduce the climate impact of the transportation sector. We encourage President Obama to go even further, faster, in the final heavy duty vehicle rule. Our climate crisis demands nothing less.

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