EPA Releases Final Tier 3 Standards for Motor Vehicle Emissions, Fuel

On March 3, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced standards for cars and gasoline designed to reduce pollution, prevent thousands of premature pollution-related deaths and respiratory illnesses, and improve vehicle efficiency. The standards are part of President Obama’s program for clean cars and trucks and are intended to reduce ground-level ozone, particulate matter, benzene, and other air toxins. Read the rule in full or get an overview.

According to the new rule, starting in 2017, Tier 3 sets new vehicle emissions standards and lowers the sulfur content of gasoline by 60 percent, from 30 to 10 parts per million. This new standard is intended to make emissions control systems more effective, and as such it considers the vehicle and its fuel as an integrated system. According to the EPA, the low-sulfur gas will cut smog-forming nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions by 260,000 tons in 2018.

The standards also reduce tailpipe and evaporative emissions from passenger cars, light-duty trucks, medium-duty passenger vehicles, and some heavy-duty vehicles.

The standards have been well-received by many in the auto, industry, and labor groups as well as by states and environmental and public health groups.

General Motors issued a statement supporting harmonized standards. “… it appears EPA has effectively harmonized the federal and state vehicle emissions requirements. We commend the agency for understanding the importance of this objective and creating one set of emissions standards for our vehicles nationwide.”

Toyota has stated that it supports the EPA’s efforts to advance the nation’s clean air goals and appreciated the vehicles and fuels combination approach. “The Tier 3 standards announced today continue to recognize the importance of treating vehicles and fuels as a system, by linking lower sulfur gasoline with more stringent vehicle emission standards.”

Honda North America Inc.’s spokesperson called the Tier 3 standards, “a critical step forward in bringing smog-forming vehicle emissions close to zero,” and added that the reduction of sulfur levels in gasoline will yield an immediate and cost-effective air quality improvement from vehicles that are already on the road.

Ford’s spokesperson pointed not only to its commitment to reducing emissions across its vehicle lineup, not only in gas-powered vehicles but in its hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles. He also pointed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, cutting energy and water usage in the vehicle manufacturing process.

For a comprehensive collection of automakers’ and auto industry reactions, read “Automakers, auto industry groups commend Tier 3 Final’s harmonized requirements.”

Despite the positive feedback, the rule isn’t to everyone’s liking. The American Petroleum Institute has posted a statement on its website in which Bob Greco, downstream group director, said that the ruling “will provide negligible, if any, environmental benefits. In fact, air quality would continue to improve with the existing standard and without additional costs.”

He also expressed concern about the new rule’s timeline: “The rushed timeframe leaves little opportunity for refiners to design, engineer, permit, construct, start up, and integrate the new machinery required. This accelerated implementation only adds costs and potentially limits our industry’s ability to supply gasoline to consumers.”

Some members of Congress aren’t happy with the standards, including Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee and cosponsor of a bill called the Secret Science Reform Act of 2014. He released a statement about the new standard and the EPA: “The Obama administration is once again moving forward with costly new regulations that are based on secret science. Even the EPA admits that its new fuel and vehicle standards will cost the economy billions of dollars and raise the price of gasoline and new vehicles. A majority of the agency’s claimed benefits for these standards are derived from taxpayer-funded studies that are hidden from the public and cannot be validated by independent scientists.”

He goes on to say that “Americans impacted by these costly regulations have a right to see the data and determine for themselves if the agency’s actions are based on sound science or a partisan agenda.”

And yet others see the rule as progress but not the optimal standards. Robert Kazak, Advanced Biofuels USA’s vehicle emissions expert, said, “It’s not the greatest thing since sliced bread; but at least there’s dough in the machine.” He added that while the industry didn’t get everything it wanted, two items are important. The first is the requirement that vehicles be tested and certified using E10, the 10 percent ethanol blend that is standard fuel across the country). The second is the opportunity for manufacturers to request approval of another new certification fuel such as high octane/high ethanol E30 (30 percent ethanol blend).

Once again, time will tell whether we’ll see the improvements in public health that the EPA is hoping for and whether oil refiners will see or pass on to consumers the costs that API’s Greco is predicting.

The EPA estimates that by 2018, the cleaner fuels and cars program will prevent between 225 and 610 premature deaths per year.

It also estimates that by 2030, as many as 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 will be avoided. It quantifies that as between $6.7 and $19 billion in health-related benefits per year.