A model presents Nissan's Zero Emission electric car at the Electric Avenue during the second press preview day of the 2010 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) at Cobo center in Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A., Jan. 12, 2010. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarth on Friday finalized a decision that the current stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for model years 2022-2025 cars and light trucks are appropriate and do not need to be changed.
The EPA said in a statement that "a wide variety of effective technologies" are available to reduce GHG emissions from cars and light trucks, and that automakers are well positioned to meet the standards through model year 2025 "at lower costs than predicted."
"My decision today rests on the technical record created by over eight years of research, hundreds of published reports including an independent review by the National Academy of Sciences, hundreds of stakeholder meetings, and multiple opportunities for the public and the industry to provide input," McCarthy said.
"At every step in the process the analysis has shown that the greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars and light trucks remain affordable and effective through 2025, and will save American drivers billions of dollars at the pump while protecting our health and the environment."
According to the EPA, the standards are projected to result in average fleet-wide consumer fuel economy sticker values of 36 miles per gallon (15 km per liter) by model year 2025, 10 miles per gallon (four km per liter) higher than the current fleet average.
Overall, full implementation of the standards will cut about 6 billion tons of GHG emissions over the lifetimes of the vehicles sold in model years 2012-2025, the EPA said. Cars and light trucks are the largest source of GHG emissions in the U.S. transportation sector.
The so-called Midterm Evaluation process was established as a part of the 2012 final greenhouse gas emissions standards for model years 2017-2025 to see whether the EPA's targets set then was still practical.
While the final determination immediately drew criticism from the automotive industry, it was welcomed by environmental groups.
"In order to keep our air clean and our climate safe, we need to put fuel efficiency standards in the fast lane," Michael Brune, director of the Sierra Club, said in a statement.
"Fortunately, together with the Clean Power Plan, the Obama administration's clean car standards are the most ambitious step the United States has ever taken to reduce carbon and other types of air pollution," Brune said. "A new administration is no reason to shift progress to reverse."
