NHTSA moves to scrap truck fuel economy standards
Continuing its efforts to roll back vehicle emission regulations, the federal government is moving to reverse rules regulating truck engines, setting the stage to reset fuel economy standards.
Since 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency have jointly regulated fuel efficiency and emissions of trucks and their engines. Separate fuel economy standards have been placed on truck engines.
Ten years ago, NHTSA and EPA finalized their Phase 2 fuel-consumption program for trucks. EPA’s rule regulated greenhouse-gas truck emissions under the Clean Air Act, whereas NHTSA focused on fuel consumption under the Energy Independence and Security Act.
The 2016 Phase 2 rule set increasingly more stringent requirements over three stages, with model year 2027 and newer trucks and engines in the final stage. The federal government wants to rewrite the rules for those newer trucks.
Earlier this year, the EPA rescinded the 2009 endangerment finding. That single document was the legal basis for some of the most sweeping vehicle emission regulations in the last 15 years. It directly repealed the EPA portion of the Phase 2 rule.
Now, the federal government is taking care of the NHTSA portion of the Phase 2 rule. On Monday, Aug. 31, NHTSA published an interpretive rule finding it has no authority to make separate rules for engines.
While the Clean Air Act expressly gives the EPA authority to regulate both engines and the whole truck, the Energy Independence and Security Act does not give NHTSA the same authority, the agency has determined. Although the standards remain on the books, NHTSA indicated it will not enforce the separate engine requirements while it rewrites the program. Standards for complete trucks remain in place.
While the rule does not change current fuel economy standards, it sets the stage for a forthcoming rulemaking that will likely remove standalone engine standards and could revise the broader vehicle standards.
NHTSA said the original rule “went far beyond Congress’ intent” and “restricted manufacturers’ ability to design innovative approaches to meet commercial truck fuel efficiency standards.”
“American innovators – not Big Government – know how best to design vehicle engines. The Trump Administration is getting out of the way so manufacturers can decide how they want to meet fuel efficiency requirements,” NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said in a statement. “Ensuring the commercial truck fuel efficiency program complies with Federal law will also lower commercial truck prices and allow American manufacturers – and the thousands of hardworking people they employ – to thrive.”
The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) welcomed a review of fuel efficiency standards for trucks and truck engines.
“EMA looks forward to working with NHTSA as the agency develops a final rule addressing fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that reflect real-world customer adoption of fuel-saving technologies, deliver meaningful operational and economic benefits to customers, and provide manufacturers the flexibility to develop engines and vehicles that meet the diverse demands of the commercial vehicle market,” the association said in a statement. “Without modification, the current engine and vehicle standards will considerably restrict engine and vehicle specification choices of our customers.”
Although NHTSA claims rewriting fuel efficiency standards will lower truck prices, some critics argue dismantling current rules could raise costs at the pump.
Sierra Club, an environmental group, said loosening fuel efficiency standards will make it harder for fleets to reduce their reliance on diesel.
“Weakening fuel efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks means locking truckers and businesses into greater dependence on diesel and greater exposure to volatile fuel prices, costs that will ultimately get passed down to consumers,” Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All Director Katherine García said. “More efficient trucks save fuel, reduce operating costs, and give our economy a stronger defense against volatile oil prices.” LL