Starting with 2012 model year vehicles, the rules together require automakers to improve fleet-wide fuel economy and reduce fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions by approximately five percent every year. NHTSA has established fuel economy standards that strengthen each year reaching an estimated 34.1 mpg for the combined industry-wide fleet for model year 2016.

“These historic new standards set ambitious, but achievable, fuel economy requirements for the automotive industry that will also encourage new and emerging technologies,” said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “We will be helping American motorists save money at the pump, while putting less pollution in the air.”

“This is a significant step towards cleaner air and energy efficiency, and an important example of how our economic and environmental priorities go hand-in-hand,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “By working together with industry and capitalizing on our capacity for innovation, we’ve developed a clean cars program that is a win for automakers and drivers, a win for innovators and entrepreneurs, and a win for our planet.”

DOT and EPA received more than 130,000 public comments on the September 2009 proposed rules, with overwhelming support for the strong national policy. Manufacturers will be able to build a single, light-duty national fleet that satisfies all federal requirements as well as the standards of California and other states. The collaboration of federal agencies also allows for clearer rules for all automakers, instead of three standards (DOT, EPA, and a state standard).

Today’s final rules, issued by DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and EPA, establish increasingly stringent fuel economy standards under NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy program and greenhouse gas emission standards under the Clean Air Act for 2012 through 2016 model-year vehicles.

Because credits for air-conditioning improvements can be used to meet the EPA standards, but not the NHTSA standards, the EPA standards require that by the 2016 model-year, manufacturers must achieve a combined average vehicle emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. The EPA standard would be equivalent to 35.5 miles per gallon if all reductions came from fuel economy improvements.

Specifically, the new National Program:

• Reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about 960 million metric tons over the lifetime of the vehicles regulated, equivalent to taking 50 million cars and light trucks off the road in 2030.
• Conserves about 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles regulated.
• Enables the average car buyer of a 2016 model year vehicle to enjoy a net savings of $3,000 over the lifetime of the vehicle, as upfront technology costs are offset by lower fuel costs

“We are delivering on our mission and President Obama’s call for a strong and coordinated national policy for fuel economy and greenhouse gas emission standards for motor vehicles, and we will do so in a way that does not compromise safety,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

“These are the first national standards ever to address climate change,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation Gina McCarthy. “Over the coming years, America will witness an amazing leap forward in vehicle technologies, delivering fuel efficiency that will save us money and protect the environment.”

The joint final regulation achieves the goal set by President Obama to develop a National Program to establish federal standards that meet the needs of the states and the nation as a whole to conserve energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. President Obama first announced the effort last May with a broad coalition of automakers, the United Auto Workers, States, and the environmental community.

NHTSA and EPA expect automobile manufacturers will meet these standards by more widespread adoption of conventional technologies that are already in commercial use, such as more efficient engines, transmissions, tires, aerodynamics, and materials, as well as improvements in air conditioning systems. Although the standards can be met with conventional technologies, EPA and NHTSA also expect that some manufacturers may choose to pursue more advanced fuel-saving technologies like hybrid vehicles, clean diesel engines, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, and electric vehicles.

In conjunction with the United States, Canada is also announcing Light Duty Vehicle GHG-Emissions regulations today. U.S. EPA and NHTSA have worked closely with Environment Canada to ensure a common North American approach.

Climate change is the single greatest long-term global environmental challenge. Cars, SUVs, minivans, and pickup trucks are responsible for almost 60 percent of all U.S. transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions.

“Nissan is leading the fight against climate change through greater energy efficiency,” said Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “Nissan’s robust energy management program is a model for others and affirms that energy efficiency is our most cost-effective climate strategy.”

Nissan, an ENERGY STAR® partner since 2006, will be honored for strategic energy management and a commitment to save energy across its entire operation that resulted in significant energy and financial savings. Nissan’s manufacturing plants in Smyrna and Decherd Tenn., and Canton, Miss., have seen their energy efficiency improve by more than 30 percent, saving the company over $11.5 million per year. The Nissan Americas new headquarters building in Franklin, Tenn., features a unique sustainable design that resulted in the facility receiving its ENERGY STAR® label this year.

Nissan’s pursuit of excellence can also be seen in the high quality products it manufactures at its energy efficient U.S. facilities. The popular and award winning Nissan Altima that is currently manufactured at Nissan’s plants in Smyrna, Tenn., and Canton, Miss. is consistently chosen by reputable publications and consumer surveys for its superior quality and safety performance.

“Working in partnership with ENERGY STAR® to manage our energy use is just good business,” said Mike Clemmer, Director/Plant Manager of Paint and Plastics and sub-leader for the Energy Management Competitiveness Team. “By increasing our energy efficiency, we use resources wisely, save money on our energy bills, and reduce our carbon footprint. This approach aids in our quest to be a sustainable 21st century manufacturer.”

The 2010 Partner of the Year Awards recognize efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy. Award winners are selected from more than 17,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR® program.

“Upgrading hundreds of vehicles and machinery to clean diesel technology will help create and save jobs and reduce the health and environmental costs of dirty diesel emissions. The 16 million residents of the South Coast can breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Putting green innovation, sustainable technology, and clean energy into action at these ports – our gateways to the global economy – will also send a powerful signal to the world that we can ensure our economic strength at the same time we protect our health and our environment.”

Pollution from dirty diesel engines remains one of the most significant health risks in California and has resulted in more than 2,000 hospitalizations, as well as more than 50,000 cases of asthma and lower respiratory symptoms each year. Children, the elderly, and community members living near major diesel sources are especially susceptible to air pollution.

These funds are being used to replace, repower and update diesel engines in school buses, heavy-duty trucks, locomotives, construction vehicles, and cargo handling equipment in the Southern California air basin, which includes Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties.

In addition to Jackson and Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and other local, state, and federal elected officials were on hand to celebrate the announcement at the Port of Long Beach.

“California is once again proving that what is right for the environment is also good for the economy,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “This funding will further California’s progress in cleaning our air while also supporting and creating green jobs, pumping up local economies and helping to protect the health of Californians.”

“I am proud to be here today with EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson and Governor Schwarzenegger to announce these grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. These resources will further support innovation, emission reduction and job creation in Los Angeles, specifically at the Port where we’ve already demonstrated that initiatives to clean the air, like the historic Clean Truck Program, work,” said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “We need to continue to take every opportunity to remove equipment reliant on dirty diesel. This isn’t just about the quality of air, it’s about the quality of life for all Angelenos and residents of Southern California so they do not get sick from diesel pollution. This funding will help Los Angeles further its role as a leader in sustainable, clean technology.”

“Long Beach is proud to receive over $4 million in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds from the EPA’s National Clean Diesel Program to reduce emissions related to cargo-handling equipment and harbor craft,” said Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster. “Through our Green Port Policy and Clean Air Action Plan these funds will significantly help the Port meet its aggressive air quality improvement goals.”

Through partnerships with the California Air Resources Board, CalTrans, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles, these clean diesel projects will create jobs, boost local economies, and protect human health and the environment.

The awarded funds will eliminate approximately 26 tons of particulate matter, 453 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 920 tons of carbon dioxide emissions every year from over 650 on- and off-road vehicles operating in the South Coast air basin.

Grant funding to the ports will include engine upgrades for more than 140 pieces of equipment, such as harbor craft and cargo handling equipment. The Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles are responsible for nearly 40 percent of containerized foods that flow in and out of the U.S. each year.

The more than $26 million will go to projects throughout the state including:

South Coast Air Quality Management District

§ $4 million for research on emerging clean heavy-duty truck technologies in Southern California.

Port of Long Beach

§ $4,008,250 to implement a large-scale diesel emission reduction project involving equipment replacements, engine repowers, and/or engine retrofits for approximately 112 pieces of cargo handling equipment, including rubber-tired gantry cranes, and two harbor craft currently in operation at the port.

Port of Los Angeles

§ $1,991,750 to replace, repower, and/or retrofit approximately 27 pieces of equipment currently in operation at the port including harbor crafts. The emission reductions achieved from this project will improve air quality and health in the surrounding areas.

California Air Resources Board (CARB)

§ $8,888,888 to repower a minimum of eight switch yard locomotives that operate in the South Coast Air Basin with new nonroad engines. The affected locomotives are owned and operate in the Southern California region. CARB was also awarded $1,730,000 in April to provide grants to school districts to retrofit school buses, including those that operate in Southern California.

California Department of Transportation

§ $951,431 to reduce emissions from construction equipment including crawler tractors, excavators, forklifts, graders, rollers, rubber tire loaders, surfacing equipment, sweepers, scrubbers, tractors, loaders, and backhoes.

“Leaking underground storage tanks are a major source of ground water contamination in the United States,” said EPA Acting Regional Administrator George Pavlou. “These funds will rapidly create jobs to investigate and clean up petroleum releases from leaking tanks, which pose threats to people’s health and the environment.”

This money is part of $200 million appropriated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to address shovel-ready sites nationwide contaminated by petroleum from leaking underground storage tanks.

 The greatest potential hazard from a leaking underground storage tank is that the petroleum or other hazardous substances seep into the soil and contaminate groundwater, the source of drinking water for nearly half of all Americans.

 The funds will be used for overseeing assessment and cleanup of leaks from underground storage tanks or directly paying for assessment and cleanup of leaks from federally regulated tanks where the responsible party is unknown, unwilling, unable, or the cleanup is an emergency response.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009, and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at http://www.recovery.gov.

For more information on EPA’s implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, visit http://www.epa.gov/region02/eparecovery/. For more information on leaking underground storage tanks, visit http://www.epa.gov/swerust1/index.htm.

“American drivers will keep more money in their pockets, put less pollution into the air, and help reduce a dependence on oil that sends billions of dollars out of our economy every year,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “By bringing together a broad coalition of stakeholders – including an unprecedented partnership with American automakers – we have crafted a path forward that is win-win for our health, our environment, and our economy. Through that partnership, we’ve taken the historic step of proposing the nation’s first ever greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles, and moved substantially closer to an efficient, clean energy future.”

“The increases in fuel economy and the reductions in greenhouse gases we are proposing today would bring about a new era in automotive history,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “These proposed standards would help consumers save money at the gas pump, help the environment, and decrease our dependence on oil – all while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices.”

 Under the proposed program, which covers model years 2012 through 2016, automobile manufacturers would be able to build a single, light-duty national fleet that satisfies all federal requirements as well as the standards of California and other states. The proposed program includes miles per gallon requirements under NHTSA’s Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards (CAFE) program and the first-ever national emissions standards under EPA’s greenhouse gas program. The collaboration of federal agencies for this proposal also allows for clearer rules for all automakers, instead of three standards (DOT, EPA, and a state standard).

 Specifically, the program would:

• Increase fuel economy by approximately five percent every year
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 950 million metric tons
•  Save the average car buyer more than $3,000 in fuel costs
•  Conserve 1.8 billion barrels of oil

 Increase Fuel Economy and Reduce Carbon Dioxide Emissions:

The proposed national program would require model year 2016 vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile. Under the proposed program, the overall light-duty vehicle fleet would reach 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) in model year 2016, if all reductions were made through fuel economy improvements. If this occurs, Congress’ fuel economy goal of 35.0 mpg by 2020 will be met four years ahead of schedule. This would surpass the CAFE law passed by Congress in 2007, which required an average fuel economy of 35 mpg in 2020.

Reduce Greenhouse Gases:

Climate change poses a significant long-term threat to America’s environment. The vehicles subject to the proposed rules announced today are responsible for almost 60 percent of all U.S. transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions. These will be the nation’s first ever national greenhouse gas standards. The proposed standards would require model year 2016 vehicles to meet an estimated combined average emission level of 250 grams of carbon dioxide per mile under EPA’s greenhouse gas program. The combined EPA and NHTSA standards would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the light-duty vehicle fleet by about 21 percent in 2030 over the level that would occur in the absence of any new greenhouse gas or fuel economy standards. The greenhouse gas emission reductions this program would bring about are equivalent to the emissions of 42 million cars.

 Save Consumers Money:

NHTSA and EPA estimate that U.S. consumers who purchase their vehicle outright would save enough in lower fuel costs over the first three years to offset the increases in vehicle costs. Consumers would save more than $3,000 due to fuel savings over the lifetime of a model year 2016 vehicle.

 Conserve Oil and Increase Energy Security:

The light-duty vehicles subject to this proposed National Program account for about 40 percent of all U.S. oil consumption. The program will provide important energy security benefits by conserving 1.8 billion barrels of oil, which is twice the amount of oil (crude oil and products) imported in 2008 from the Persian Gulf countries, according to the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration Office. These standards also provide important energy security benefits as light-duty vehicles account for about 60 percent of transportation oil use.

 Within the Auto Industry’s Reach:

EPA and NHTSA have worked closely to develop this coordinated joint proposal and have met with many stakeholders including automakers to insure the standards proposed today are both aggressive and achievable given the current financial state of the auto industry.

 NHTSA and EPA expect automobile manufacturers would meet these proposed standards by improving engine efficiency, transmissions and tires, as well as increasing the use of start-stop technology and improvements in air conditioning systems. EPA and NHTSA also anticipate that these standards would promote the more widespread use of advanced fuel-saving technologies like hybrid vehicles and clean diesel engines

To compare environmental performance across vehicle classes, use the 0-10 scores and the fuel economy numbers. These can be used to compare any vehicle to any other vehicle, no matter what types of vehicles you are comparing. Larger numbers, whether scores or fuel economy, are more environmentally friendly than smaller numbers.

And for the easiest comparison of all, use the SmartWay and SmartWay Elite designations. These indicate the vehicles with the best environmental performance compared to all other vehicles, where EPA certifies that these vehicles have exceeded environmental thresholds on the Air Pollution and Greenhouse Gas Scores.

To View and use the Guide click the EPA log above.

Acting Regional Administrator, George Pavlou commented,

Innovative clean diesel projects can create jobs, cut fuel costs, keep people healthy, and move our country into a clean energy future. Projects like these help rebuild the economy while contributing to cleaner, healthier air quality.

The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 2 alone received over 52 grant applications requesting $168 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The awards announced today were chosen to both maximize economic impact and emissions reductions.

These projects include:

 Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM) – Marine Ferry Repower and McAllister Sisters Marine Tug Repower Projects ($2,800,000) : Under the Marine Ferry Repower project, NESCAUM will repower four marine vessels, including ferries that operate in the Hudson River and tugs operating at the Port of San Juan, by replacing 13 pre-regulation engines with new engines. Under the McAllister Sisters project, NESCAUM will repower one marine vessel that operates in the New York Harbor, Long Island Sound, and the Delaware River by replacing four pre-regulation engines with new engines.

New York State Department of Transportation – Switch Locomotive Repower with Gen-set Technology ($1,050,000): This project will repower one switch locomotive operating at CSX’s Selkirk Yard (near Albany, NY) by replacing the existing pre-regulation engine with cleaner engines.

 Columbia University – Voluntary Construction Retrofit Program ($1,997,279): This project will retrofit up to 78 pieces of construction equipment used on the Manhattanville campus expansion project with diesel particulate filters. The University will partner with equipment rental companies.

 Port Authority of New York & New Jersey – Regional Truck Replacement Program ($7,000,000): This project will replace up to 636 model year 1993 and older drayage trucks that service Port Authority facilities with cleaner, 2004 and newer model year trucks by offering truckers 25% off the cost of the newer truck.

 Port Authority of New York & New Jersey – Shore Power Installation at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal ($2,858,200): This project will install the land-side electrical infrastructure necessary for cruise vessels calling at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal to hook up to shore power while docked, eliminating the need to operate on-board generators. Carnival Cruise Lines has committed to use the facility.

New York City Department of Transportation –Staten Island Ferry Marine Engine Repower ($1,275,000): This project will repower the Staten Island Ferry vessel John H. Noble by replacing four pre-regulation engines with new engines.

In addition to helping create and retain jobs, the clean diesel projects would help to reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other health impacts every year.

The Recovery Act allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. The Recovery Act also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.

In addition, under the Act’s State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to states for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.