Today the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation proposed the next round of standards that will make our freight trucks more efficient in years to come. This is good news -- these standards will reduce oil consumption, all while reducing the cost of shipping goods and protecting our planet.
Medium and heavy-duty vehicles, everything from large pickup trucks to tractor-trailers, are one of the fastest growing sources of oil use. While they account for only seven percent of the vehicles on the road, they use a quarter of all fuel. At the same time, while our passenger cars have become more efficient in recent years, tractor trailers still average roughly six miles per gallon, the same as they have for decades.
According to the EPA and DOT, the standards announced today will save 1.8 billion barrels of oil or 75 billion gallons of fuel over the lifetime of the vehicles under these standards. From aerodynamic trailers to advanced transmissions, these standards will drive new and existing technologies into the marketplace and onto trucks. These technologies save consumers money, when fuel savings bring down the costs of transporting goods, the average household could save nearly $150 a year by 2030 and $275 by 2040 assuming all savings and costs are passed through to consumers.
When countries gather this year in Paris for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, efficiency and emissions standards for passenger cars and heavy-duty trucks will be centerpieces of the United States’ plan to cut carbon pollution. Indeed, the administration estimates these proposed truck standards will keep 1 billion metric tons out of the atmosphere. This is roughly equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the electricity and power use from all U.S. residences for one year.
While these standards will ensure continual improvement in trucks through 2027, it is possible to make these gains and realize their benefits sooner. Analysis conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy finds that we can reduce new truck fuel consumption 40 percent by 2025. Accelerating these reductions in fuel use will not only yield greater climate benefits but also will substantially reduce shipping costs.
The proposed standards are a critical step forward in cutting oil use and carbon pollution. In the coming months, EPA and DOT will take comments on how they can improve these standards. Stay tuned for more information on how you can thank the Obama administration for its hard work and ask them to make these critical standards stronger.