EPA automobile regulations will hit drivers in the pocket book
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency has been working to decrease dangerous emissions from gasoline and engines slowly through a tiered approach. The agency recently released its requirements for tier 3, and while it will be a boon for the environment, not so for the average consumer.
Car manufacturers are required to significantly reduce emission and sulfur content by 2017. Sulfur must be decreased by 60 percent and other dangerous emissions by 80 percent. This is excellent news for environmentalists who have been rallying behind reduced emissions for years, but it will require an investment by auto makers and gasoline manufacturers.
The EPA believes that new standards will only increase the amount of gas by a cent, but analysts believe it’s more likely to increase by at least nine cents per gallon. The cost of implementing the new standards as well as infrastructure will be passed onto driver. The auto industry itself will likely see an upswing in costs including $10 billion in infrastructure and $2.4 billion on operating costs annually. What’s ironic is that this is on the heels of a multi-billion dollar auto bailout just a few years ago.
While the auto industry seems to be on the rebound, who knows what will happen by 2017. The EPA is quick to point out not only the environmental impact of a decrease in engine emissions, but also the health effects as well. By 2030, the change in the standard will have prevented 2,400 premature deaths, 3,200 doctor’s visits, 22,000 asthma attacks and 23,000 respiratory issues. All this culminates in about 1.8 million lost school and work days gained by each year, according to the EPA.
The EPA has some rather lofty goals pertaining to tier 3 standards. The good news for auto manufacturers is they’ve known about the tier system since the early 2000s and there are still several years before this tier is officially implemented. Ideally, the standards will result in the impressive environmental impacts detailed by the EPA and will not bankrupt the auto industry…again.
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