The federal government is planning to put a cap on greenhouse gas emissions and bad vehicle fuel efficiency.
The new regulations, written by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, could save the average buyer of a 2016 model year car $3,000 over the vehicle’s life, and it will reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, according to an EPA press release.
The new program, officially titled Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, will cost consumers almost $434 extra per vehicle in 2012 and $926 per vehicle by 2016.
The rules set emissions and mileage standards that would translate to a combined fuel economy average of 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 for new cars and light trucks.
Passenger cars will have to meet a target of 37.8 mpg by 2016, while pickups, sport utility vehicles and minivans will need to average 28.8 mpg. The regulations will not go into effect before next year at the earliest, according to officials.
“The clean cars program marks the first official action to control greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. We expect to reduce greenhouse emissions by the equivalent of 42,000,000 cars over the life of the program,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said on a podcast on the EPA Web site.
The rules will also require automakers to improve fuel economy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent per year, beginning with 2012 model year vehicles, according to the EPA Web site.
Greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide are all greenhouse gases. Some greenhouse gases occur naturally, but others are a result of industrial production.
The new standards will cut greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 960 million metric tons and 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the lifetime of the vehicles sold under the program (model years 2012-2016), according to the EPA’s Web site.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is strongly opposed to greenhouse gas emissions regulation.
“New regulations could prove to be intrusive, inefficient and excessively costly. They could slow or stop permits needed to operate or expand businesses, which could chill job growth and delay expansion,” according to an e-mail statement from API.
API is the main U.S. trade association for the oil and natural gas industry.
Cars, sport utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks are responsible for almost 60 percent of all U.S. transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions, according to an EPA press release.
The University encourages using alternative transportation to and from campus and discourages driving to campus, according to the Office of Sustainability’s Web site. As of mid-March, the Department of Public Safety had sold 1,500 student permits, 2,000 faculty permits and 90 carpool permits.
University students and Eugene citizens agree Eugene is a bike-friendly city that supports alternative modes of transportation.
“The city planners and local government put a lot of foresight into making Eugene bike friendly,” said Fred Sproat, University junior and Outdoor Program outreach coordinator.
He said students have the ability to be environmentally friendly when choosing methods of transportation. “It’s about making choices that aren’t reliant on
fossil fuels,” he said.

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