Obama wants more fuel-efficient trucks on U.S. roads

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UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — Drawing a link between reduced
fuel consumption and climate change, President Barack Obama said
Tuesday that his administration will issue tougher fuel-efficiency
standards for delivery trucks by March 2016.
Obama said helping
these vehicles use less fuel would have the triple benefit of making the
U.S. less dependent on imported oil, keeping more money in consumer
pockets and reducing the greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global
warming.
"It’s not just a win win. It’s a win, win, win," Obama
said at a Maryland distribution center for Safeway, where he was flanked
by two delivery trucks. "You got three wins."
Heavy-duty trucks
make up just 4 percent of the vehicles on the nation’s roadways, he
said, but are responsible for about 20 percent of the climate-changing
gases that are spewed into the atmosphere by the transportation sector.
Obama
said ordering the Department of Transportation and the Environmental
Protection Agency to develop new standards for the 2018 vehicle model
year, and beyond, is an example of the kind of steps he intends to take
on his own to bolster the economy when he thinks Congress isn’t doing
its job.
The new fuel-efficiency rules would come on top of standards in place for the 2014-2018 model years.
Obama
also said companies that want to join an existing public-private
partnership focused on energy-efficient vehicles will get specialized
resources and technical expertise from the Department of Energy.
Much of what Obama announced had already been made public, including by the president himself.
Obama
discussed the need for new fuel-efficiency standards in last month’s
State of the Union address, as well as in the climate change plan he
announced last June.
Trucking industry representatives and environmental advocates welcomed his announcement.
"This
announcement is another historic milestone for commercial vehicles and
the many industries which depend on the efficient, reliable power of
diesel and natural gas engines," said Tom Linebarger, the chief
executive and chairman of Cummins, who spoke on behalf of a trucking
industry group that has worked with the administration to increase fuel
efficiency for heavy-duty engines and vehicles.
Vickie Patton,
general counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund, applauded the
promised reductions in air pollution and oil consumption and the
projected dollar savings to families and businesses that would come from
more fuel-efficient vehicles.
Obama called Safeway a leader on
the issue. He said the company has spent money on cleaner, more
efficient trucks with improved aerodynamics, better tires and
larger-capacity trailers, and encourages companies it hires to ship its
products to do the same.
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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or
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