NEWS WATCH
New Study Finds U.S. Last Among Major Countries in Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy Standards WASHINGTON (August 13, 2007)- A new report completed late last month found that while the United States continues to lag far behind the rest of the world in fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles, it is poised to make large strides if current legislative proposals under consideration in Congress and by the executive branch are enacted.
What
is the ICCT?The goal of the International Council on Clean Transportation
(ICCT) is to dramatically reduce conventional pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions from personal, public and goods transportation in order to improve air quality and human health, and mitigate climate change. The Council is made up of leading regulators and experts from around the world that participate as individuals based on their experience with air quality and transportation issues. The report, "Passenger Vehicle Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Economy Standards: A Global Update," by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), is a technical comparison of vehicle standards in eight major countries, states and regions. The new report updates a 2004 report published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change by providing new information on changes to vehicle standards and policies that have taken place in Europe, Japan, Canada, China, South Korea and the United States. U.S. passenger vehicle fuel economy standards lag behind most other industrialized Nations, even after accounting for regulatory actions to increase federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for light trucks undertaken last year. But with the recent passage of a CAFE bill in the Senate, the president's executive order, and regulatory action on
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions from passenger vehicles planned for this fall, the U.S. could change its status. "Significant improvements are under discussion in the United States," says Drew Kodjak, ICCT executive director. "The U.S. could surpass Canada, Australia, South Korean and California passenger vehicle standards by 2020 if it adopts the 35 mpg CAFE target passed by the U.S. Senate."
(Source: ICCT) 
