WASHINGTON (January 13, 2017)—Today, the Environmental Protection Agency completed its midterm review of vehicle efficiency and carbon pollution standards and issued a determination to keep them moving forward. That’s the right decision, based on a careful review of the evidence, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
“The vehicle efficiency and carbon pollution standards have been a remarkable success. They’ve helped us cut oil use, reduce pollution, save money at the pump and reduce the risk of climate change. We need to keep moving forward with this policy—the EPA made the right decision here.
“When these standards were designed, in close cooperation with automakers, they included a midterm review to ask one simple question: is the policy working? After years of gathering information and careful analysis, the answer is yes. The evidence is clear—automakers are innovating to deliver more efficient vehicles, and drivers are seeing real benefits.
“This decision is based on a robust technical record, including last year’s Technical Assessment Report, showing that automakers have the technologies to continue their progress in a cost-effective way. It will keep us on track to reduce oil use by 2.4 million barrels a day, cut global warming emissions and keep American-made vehicles competitive in a rapidly-changing global market.
“Automakers aren’t just meeting these standards, they’re exceeding them—and thriving. While new cars continue to get more fuel efficient across sizes and price levels, 2015 and 2016 have been the strongest years for sales in U.S. history.
“These standards are doing exactly what they’re designed to do. It’s a common sense policy, and it’s important to continue to move forward.”