New York Times Article 8/16/16 excerpts The Obama administration on Tuesday issued aggressive new emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks. The rules are expected to achieve better fuel efficiency and a bigger cut in pollution than the version that was first proposed last year.
Officials said the new standards would require up to a 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions for big tractor-trailers over the next 10 years, and somewhat smaller improvements for delivery trucks, school buses and other large vehicles.
The rules are intended to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions from tractor-trailers and other large vehicles that transport steel, cars, oil and a wide array of consumer products. It will be up to engine and truck-tractor makers to determine how to meet them.
Analysts have estimated the cost of complying with the new standards at $12,000 a vehicle. Mr. Foxx said those investments would be outweighed by larger economic gains such as reduced fuel consumption.
“This is going to be a huge economic opportunity for those who are in the trucking industry,” he said.
Heavy-duty trucks are the fastest-growing segment of the American transportation sector in terms of fossil-fuel consumption and account for about 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, despite making up only 5 percent of the vehicles on the road.
Regulators said that tractor-trailer owners could recoup the cost of new technology on their vehicles within two years because of fuel savings. Other vehicles may take longer to generate enough savings to cover the cost of improved engines and other equipment.
One member of the alliance, the soft-drink giant PepsiCo, said the standards would help spur more innovation in an industry that was already pushing to lower its fuel costs.
“The steps we have taken to boost efficiency of our fleet across PepsiCo have significantly reduced emissions while lowering our operating costs,” said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo’s chief executive. “And we are committed to doing much more.”