EPA Finally Cleans up Fuel over Big Oil Objections and Money

EPA cannot consider costs in setting standards under the Clean Air Act, but costs are now estimated under an executive order from President Obama.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – aka EPA – has finalized emission standards for vehicles and gasoline fuel that it says will significantly reduce harmful pollution and prevent thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, while also enabling efficiency improvements in cars and trucks.

Once fully in place, the standards will help avoid up to 2,000 premature deaths per year and 50,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, according to the agency that Republicans – owned by big oil – love to hate and obstruct. (See EPA Proposes Stricter Emissions Standards, Lower Sulfur Fuel. Big Battle between Oil and Auto Industries Coming over Tier 3)

Motor vehicles are the second largest source of nitrogen oxide emissions and volatile organic compounds in the U.S. The proposal would also reduce vehicle emissions of toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and butadiene by as much as 40%.

The new standards mean that California’s clean cars and fuels program finalized in 2012 will become a nationwide vehicle emissions program, which means the same vehicles will be sold in all 50 states. The proposal is designed to be implemented at the same time as the next phase of EPA’s program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks beginning in model year 2017.

These latest fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards covering model year vehicles from 2012-2025 are now projected to save U.S. drivers more than $1.7 trillion in fuel costs.
The standards cut emissions and harmful pollutants that can cause premature death and respiratory illnesses, reducing standards for smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides by 80%, establishing a 70% more stringent particulate matter standard and virtually eliminating fuel vapor emissions.

The final fuel standards that Big Oil fiercely fought will reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60% down from 30 to 10 parts per million (ppm) in 2017. Reducing sulfur in gasoline lets emission controls perform more efficiently. This should have been done decades ago. New low-sulfur gas will provide significant and immediate health benefits because every gas-powered vehicle on the road built prior to these standards will run cleaner – cutting smog-forming NOx emissions by 260,000 tons in 2018.

By 2030, EPA estimates that up to 2,000 premature deaths, 50,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, 2,200 hospital admissions and asthma-related emergency room visits, and 1.4 million lost school days, work days and days when activities would be restricted due to air pollution. Total health-related benefits in 2030 will be between $6.7 and $19 billion annually. The program will also reduce exposure to pollution near roads. More than 50 million people live, work, or go to school in close proximity to high-traffic roadways, and the average American spends more than one hour traveling along roads each day.

The final standards predicted to provide up to 13 dollars in health benefits for every dollar spent to meet the standards, more than was estimated for the proposal. The sulfur fuel regulation will cost less than a penny per gallon of gasoline on average once the standards are fully in place. The vehicle standards will have an average cost of about $72 per vehicle in 2025.

The standards also support efforts by states to reduce harmful levels of smog and soot and aids their ability to attain and maintain science-based national ambient air quality standards to protect public health, while also – it’s claimed – providing flexibility for small businesses, including hardship provisions and additional lead-time for compliance.

EPA says there is “flexibility and adequate time for refiners to comply.” For those refineries that may need it, the program would provide nearly six years to meet the standards. To provide a smooth transition for refiners to produce cleaner gasoline, the program is structured in a way that allows the industry to plan any additional investments needed. In addition, EPA is giving “special considerations to small refiners, while offering provisions for compliance assistance in the case of extreme hardship or unforeseen circumstances.”