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This rulemaking would address fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty on-highway vehicles and work trucks for model years beyond 2018. This rulemaking would respond to requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), title 1, subtitle A, sections 102 and 108, as they amend 49 U.S.C. section 32902, which was signed into law December 19, 2007. The statute requires that NHTSA establish a medium- and heavy-duty on-highway vehicle and work truck fuel efficiency improvement program that achieves the maximum feasible improvement, including standards that are appropriate, cost-effective, and technologically feasible. The law requires that the new standards provide at least 4 full model years of regulatory lead-time and 3 full model years of regulatory stability (i.e., the standards must remain in effect for 3 years before they may be amended). This action would follow the first ever Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles (Phase 1) (76 FR 57106, September 15, 2011). In June 2013, the President's Climate Action Plan called for the Department of Transportation to develop fuel efficiency standards and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop greenhouse gas emission standards in joint rulemaking within the President's second term. In February 2014, the President directed DOT and EPA to complete the second phase of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles during his second term.

Statement of Need:

Setting fuel consumption standards for commercial medium-duty and heavy-duty on-highway vehicles and work trucks will reduce fuel consumption, and will thereby improve U.S. energy security by reducing dependence on foreign oil, which has been a national objective since the first oil price shocks in the 1970s.  Net petroleum imports now account for approximately 60 percent of U.S. petroleum consumption.  World crude oil production is highly concentrated, exacerbating the risks of supply disruptions and price shocks.  Tight global oil markets led to prices over $100 per barrel in 2008, with gasoline reaching as high as $4 per gallon in many parts of the U.S., causing financial hardship for many families and businesses.  The export of U.S. assets for oil imports continues to be an important component of the historically unprecedented U.S. trade deficits.  Transportation accounts for about 72 percent of U.S. petroleum consumption.  Medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles account for about 17 percent of transportation oil use, which means that they alone account for about 12 percent of all U.S. oil consumption.

Summary of the Legal Basis:

This rulemaking would respond to requirements of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), title 1, subtitle A, sections 102 and 108, as they amend 49 U.S.C. 32902, which was signed into law December 19, 2007.  In June 2013, the Presidents Climate Action Plan called for the Department of Transportation to develop fuel efficiency standards and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop greenhouse gas emission standards in joint rulemaking within the Presidents second term.  In February 2014, the President directed DOT and EPA to complete the second phase of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles during his second term.

Alternatives:

In Phase 1, NHTSA evaluated nine alternatives; (1) heavy-duty engines, only (2) Class 8 combination tractors and engines in Class 8 tractors, (3) heavy-duty engines and Class 7 and 8 tractors, (4) heavy-duty engines, Class 7 and 8 tractors, and Class 2b/3 pickup trucks and vans, (5) NPRM Preferred Alternative: heavy-duty engines, tractors, and Class 2b through 8 vehicles, (6) heavy-duty engines, tractors, Class 2b through 8 vehicles and trailers, (7) heavy-duty engines, tractors, Class 2b through 8 vehicles, and trailers plus advanced hybrid powertrain technology for Class 2b through 8 vocational vehicles, pickups and vans, (8) 15 percent less stringent that the NPRM Preferred Alternative, covering heavy-duty engines, tractors, and Class 2b through 8 vehicles, (9) 20 percent more stringent that the NPRM Preferred Alternative, covering heavy-duty engines, tractors, and Class 2b through 8 vehicles.  

Anticipated Costs and Benefits:

The costs and benefits associated with this rulemaking have not yet been quantified.

Risks:

The agency believes there are no substantial risks to this rulemaking.