Feds Roll Out Phase 2 on Greenhouse Gases

The Obama administration rolled out the final version of its Phase 2 rule on greenhouse gas emissions from heavy- and medium-duty trucks Aug. 16, with top administration officials saying the mandate will save 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide and other GHGs through the final rollout date of 2027.

The long-anticipated rule was first described for the press by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy, Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx and others. McCarthy said the three stages for truck and engine rules will be 2021, 2024 and 2027.

MORE INFO: Fact sheet (PDF)  | Complete rule (PDF, 1690 pages)

EPA had considered consolidating the rollout to just the first two stages but decided instead to make the standards more strict than in last year’s proposal while stretching to three stages.

The rule, which succeeds Phase 1 that has rollout dates of January 2014 and January 2017, also will cover trailers for the first time, but no details on that were released immediately.

Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the California Air Resources Board, said she supports the rule, even though it does not include provisions for tightening standards on nitrogen oxide compounds, or NOx.