The Office of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General announced yesterday that it will evaluate the process and actions that went into the new EPA vehicle emissions standards which were finalized in March.
The new standards require an increase in average vehicle efficiency of 1.5% per year through 2025. The previous standards, which went into effect in 2012, call for an increase in average vehicle efficiency of 5% per year through 20205. The EPA says the new standards will allow about 900 million extra metric tons of carbon dioxide into the air and the country will use about 2 billion more barrels of oil producing gasoline for the less efficient vehicles.
In addition to the extra carbon dioxide from the new rule, there will be an increase in other air pollution too – nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds, and particulates. The extra air pollution also causes death and illness from heart disease, lung disease, strokes, cancer, and many other illnesses, and causes cognitive problems in everyone from childhood through old age.
Stronger vehicle emissions keep us all healthy and thriving. We did not understand the rationale earlier this year for rolling back an 8 year old standard that was good for everyone’s health. It’s good this is being investigated.
Read a news article from Reuters about the investigation here.
