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newsrel -- ARB Chair Praises Obama Administration for Program to Advance Next Generation of Clean Vehicles

Posted: 24 May 2010 09:21:27
ARB Chair Praises Obama Administration for Program to Advance
Next Generation of Clean Vehicles. 


Release 10-37
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 24, 2010 	
	
Stanley Young
916-322-1309 desk
916-956-9409 cell
www.arb.ca.gov

ARB Chair Praises Obama Administration for Program to Advance
Next Generation of Clean Vehicles

SACRAMENTO-- California Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D.
Nichols issued the following statement regarding the announcement
and signing of a memorandum by President Obama on May 21, 2010 in
the Rose Garden about car and truck greenhouse gas emission and
fuel economy standards.  

In addition, ARB released two documents:
1: A statement about Light Duty Vehicle standards
2: A letter to Administrator Jackson and Secretary LaHood on
medium- and heavy-duty standards.

(Text of both is embedded below following Chairman Nichols'
statement)

"The California Air Resources Board applauds President Obama’s
announcement of the first-ever national policy to increase fuel
efficiency and decrease greenhouse gas pollution from medium- and
heavy-duty trucks for model years 2014-2018. Such a national
program could reduce as much as 250 million metric tons of CO2
and save up to approximately 500 million barrels of oil over the
lifetime of the vehicles and achieve approximately $70 billion in
fuel savings," said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.
 
 " California will also continue to stand side by side with the
Obama administration to help advance the vision of the next
generation of cleaner, more efficient cars," she continued. "As
we move forward into the second phase of this program, California
will continue to lead, and develop, with federal agencies and
others,  innovative, cost-effective and technologically feasible
standards to make cleaner cars and trucks a reality."
 
 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
 
 
May 21, 2010
Statement of the California Air Resources Board
Regarding Future Passenger Vehicle Greenhouse Gas
Emission Standards
 
Under the Clean Air Act, Congress gave California a leadership
role in the area of motor vehicle regulations.  For over 40
years, California has fulfilled this role by adopting pioneering
motor vehicle emissions standards the other States are permitted
to follow.  California has been, and will continue to be, a major
market for new motor vehicles, especially those with innovative
designs and technologies.  In 2004, California became the first
state in the Nation to adopt greenhouse gas emissions standards
for motor vehicles.  California is deeply committed to continuing
in its efforts to achieve the steep reductions in greenhouse
gases needed to stabilize the planet’s temperature. 
 
California recognizes the benefit of a harmonized national
program addressing vehicle greenhouse gas emissions and fuel
economy.  California supports the emission regulations and fuel
economy standards jointly adopted by United States Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and United States Department of
Transportation’s National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration (NHTSA), announced on April 1, 2010, for model
year 2012-2016 passenger vehicles.  California has incorporated
these national standards into its motor vehicle emissions
program.  These new standards, however, must be followed by
additional action in order to continue the impressive reductions
already in place up to 2016.  The process for developing new
standards must begin now so that the automobile industry will
have ample time to develop and implement the technologies needed
to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel
economy.
 
In exercising its longstanding Clean Air Act authority,
California has initiated first steps to develop the next combined
emission standards for both criteria and greenhouse gas
pollutants for model years 2017-2025.  Workshops have been held
and more are planned for the summer of 2010.  The goal, as with
California’s model year 2009-2016 emission standards, is that
compliance with new national standards after 2016 may serve to
meet the new 2017-2025 model years California standards.
 
To help advance the national process and achieve the broadest
applicability of new standards for 2017 and beyond, California
commits to work in partnership with EPA and NHTSA to develop a
staff technical assessment to inform future rulemaking that
includes the following:
 
·         Evaluation of emerging technologies to further reduce
greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy of new
passenger vehicles for the 2017-2025 model years;
·         Engage with manufacturers of passenger vehicles and
other stakeholders, in partnership with EPA and NHTSA, to fully
explore the capabilities to commercialize new greenhouse gas and
fuel economy technologies over this timeframe and to identify
costs and any market barriers;
·         Evaluation of possible approaches to help establish in
the marketplace an increase in the use of advanced technologies,
including plug-in hybrids, battery electric, and fuel cell
vehicles;
·         Identify potential greenhouse gas emission standards
that could be practically implemented nationally for the
2017-2025 model years, with a current expectation on California’s
behalf that the annual rate of improvement would be in the 3 to 6
percent range.
 
Based on the results of the above actions, California envisions
a path forward to arrive at aggressive light-duty vehicle
greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy standards in
coordination with federal agencies and in consultation with auto
manufacturers, States, and others.  This path will include an
announcement by EPA and NHTSA of a joint Notice of Intent for
rulemaking, by September 30, 2010, culminating in final adoption
by mid-2012, of new requirements for a national program of
greenhouse gas emission reductions and fuel economy standards for
new passenger vehicles for the 2017-2025 model years.
 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 
 
 
 MEDIUM AND HEAVY DUTY LETTER
 
 
 May 19, 2010
 
Dear Administrator Jackson and Secretary LaHood:
 
I am writing this letter to express California Air Resources
Board’s support of the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Transportation Safety
Administration (NHTSA) efforts to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG)
from new medium and heavy duty trucks.  California recognizes the
benefit of a harmonized national program, and urges the two
agencies to expeditiously develop national regulations that will
reduce GHG emissions from this source, benefiting California and
the nation as we continue to strive to address the threat of
global climate change.
 
Federal action will also help us meet the goals established by
the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32). 
Specifically, AB 32 mandates a reduction of California’s GHG
emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 and the Governor has further
called for an 80 percent reduction from 1990 levels by 2050.
 
California supports the development of a national program
comprised of GHG emission standards and fuel efficiency standards
for years 2014-2018, consistent with the following principles:
 
s        Starts in 2014 and be fully implemented by 2018.
s        Designed to increase the use of existing technologies
in order to achieve significant GHG reductions and fuel
efficiency improvements which, based on the measurement metric
and baseline that are used, could result in individual vehicle
GHG reductions as high as 20 percent and fuel efficiency
improvements as high as 25 percent.  As a result billions of
dollars in fuel savings will accrue for California and the
nation.
s        Establishes standards applicable to medium and
heavy-duty vehicles in a manner that:
o       recognizes the commercial needs of the trucking industry
and the demands of heavy-duty applications;
o       recognizes technology improvement opportunities across
the entire vehicle and its operation;
o       is compatible with the complexities of the marketplace;
o       avoids unintended consequences.
s        Incentivizes the early introduction of advanced
technologies (for example, hybrid vehicles and electric
vehicles)
 
California understands that EPA and NHTSA will jointly propose a
comprehensive national program for full public review and
comment, affording all interested parties the right to
participate in a public hearing, and submit comments and other
relevant information to the agencies for consideration prior to
reaching any final determinations.  We also understand that EPA
and NHTSA’s preliminary analysis indicates that such a national
program could reduce as much as 250 million metric tons of CO2
and save up to approximately 500 million barrels of oil over the
lifetime of the vehicles built during 2014-2018, and achieve
approximately $70 billion in fuel savings.  California is
committed to working with EPA and NHTSA to adopt a national
program consistent with these principles.
 
If you have any questions or need any additional information,
please feel free to contact me at (916) 322-5840.
 
Sincerely,
Mary D. Nichols
Chairman
 
 

The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency.  ARB’s mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy.  The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.
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