| UPDATE
Here’s What They’re Saying about EPA’s Proposed Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standards ”I applaud President Obama and the EPA for issuing this new rule, which is a significant step forward in reducing air pollution from vehicles. This rule means cleaner cars and cleaner fuels, which in turn means healthier communities across the country,” said Governor Deval Patrick. ”This common sense regulation is a victory for a cost-effective and sensible way to clean our air.” “EPA’s proposed Tier 3 vehicle standards and cleaner gasoline will give our state immediate air quality benefits, which will only grow over time as new cars enter the marketplace. In Connecticut, we are taking action to show that we can have a strong economy and a healthy environment, and the new standards for motor vehicles and fuels announced today by EPA are consistent with our approach. I applaud EPA’s help taking on the most significant source of air pollution – cars, trucks and other so-called mobile sources – and look forward to prompt finalization of the rule so we all breathe cleaner air.” “Today the Obama Administration took much-needed action to reduce air pollution and protect the health of our citizens. Rhode Islanders, particularly seniors, children, and those with asthma, have suffered for too long from the so-called ‘bad air days’ that can land them in the hospital. This new standard means cleaner gasoline and cleaner vehicles, which will help us prevent a major source of the air pollution that causes those bad air days. This is a big step forward for public health.”
Robert M. Pestronk, MPH, Executive Director, National Association of County and City Health Officials
| |||||||||||
Friday, March 29, 2013
News Release:UPDATE: Here’s What They’re Saying about EPA’s Proposed Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standards
U.S. EPA News Release: Here’s What They’re Saying about EPA’s Proposed Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standards
| CONTACT: EPA Press Office
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 29, 2013
Here’s What They’re Saying about EPA’s Proposed Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standards ”I applaud President Obama and the EPA for issuing this new rule, which is a significant step forward in reducing air pollution from vehicles. This rule means cleaner cars and cleaner fuels, which in turn means healthier communities across the country,” said Governor Deval Patrick. ”This common sense regulation is a victory for a cost-effective and sensible way to clean our air.” “EPA’s proposed Tier 3 vehicle standards and cleaner gasoline will give our state immediate air quality benefits, which will only grow over time as new cars enter the marketplace. In Connecticut, we are taking action to show that we can have a strong economy and a healthy environment, and the new standards for motor vehicles and fuels announced today by EPA are consistent with our approach. I applaud EPA’s help taking on the most significant source of air pollution – cars, trucks and other so-called mobile sources – and look forward to prompt finalization of the rule so we all breathe cleaner air.” You are subscribed to News Releases: Headquarters for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This information has recently been updated, and is now available.
| |||||||||||
News Release: EPA Proposes Achievable Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standard, Slashing Air Pollution and Providing Extensive Health Benefits
| EPA Proposes Achievable Cleaner Fuels and Cars Standard, Slashing Air Pollution and Providing Extensive Health Benefits WASHINGTON – Based on extensive input from auto manufacturers, refiners, and states, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed sensible standards for cars and gasoline that will significantly reduce harmful pollution, prevent thousands of premature deaths and illnesses, while also enabling efficiency improvements in the cars and trucks we drive. These cleaner fuels and cars standards are an important component of the administration’s national program for clean cars and trucks, which also include historic fuel efficiency standards that are saving new vehicle owners at the gas pump today. Once fully in place, the standards will help avoid up to 2,400 premature deaths per year and 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children. Following a proven systems approach that addresses vehicles and fuels as an integrated system, today’s proposal will enable the greatest pollution reductions at the lowest cost. The proposal will slash emissions of a range of harmful pollutants that can cause premature death and respiratory illnesses, including reducing smog-forming volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, establish a 70 percent tighter particulate matter standard, and reduce fuel vapor emissions to near zero. The proposal will also reduce vehicle emissions of toxic air pollutants, such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene, by up to 40 percent. The proposal supports efforts by states to reduce harmful levels of smog and soot and eases their ability to attain and maintain science-based national ambient air quality standards to protect public health, while also providing flexibilities for small businesses, including hardship provisions and additional lead time for compliance. “The Obama Administration has taken a series of steps to reinvigorate the auto industry and ensure that the cars of tomorrow are cleaner, more efficient and saving drivers money at the pump and these common-sense cleaner fuels and cars standards are another example of how we can protect the environment and public health in an affordable and practical way,” said EPA Acting Administrator Bob Perciasepe. “Today’s proposed standards – which will save thousands of lives and protect the most vulnerable -- are the next step in our work to protect public health and will provide the automotive industry with the certainty they need to offer the same car models in all 50 states. By 2030, EPA estimates that the proposed cleaner fuels and cars program will annually prevent up to 2,400 premature deaths, 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children, 3,200 hospital admissions and asthma-related emergency room visits, and 1.8 million lost school days, work days and days when activities would be restricted due to air pollution. Total health-related benefits in 2030 will be between $8 and $23 billion annually. The program would also reduce exposure to pollution near roads. More than 50 million people live, work, or go to school in close proximity to high-traffic roadways, and the average American spends more than one hour traveling along roads each day. Throughout the development of the proposal, EPA met with representatives from the automotive and oil and gas industry as well as environmental, consumer advocacy and public health organizations. Based on initial feedback from these groups and a thorough rulemaking process, EPA’s proposal is estimated to provide up to seven dollars in health benefits for every dollar spent to meet the standards. The proposed sulfur standards will cost refineries less than a penny per gallon of gasoline on average once the standards are fully in place. The proposed vehicle standards will have an average cost of about $130 per vehicle in 2025. The proposal also includes flexibilities for small businesses, including hardship provisions and additional lead time for compliance. The proposed standards will reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60 percent – down to 10 parts per million (ppm) in 2017. Reducing sulfur in gasoline enables vehicle emission control technologies to perform more efficiently. This means that vehicles built prior to the proposed standards will run cleaner on the new low-sulfur gas, providing significant and immediate benefits by reducing emissions from every gas-powered vehicle on the road. The proposed standards will work together with California’s clean cars and fuels program to create a harmonized nationwide vehicle emissions program that enables automakers to sell the same vehicles in all 50 states. The proposal is designed to be implemented over the same timeframe as the next phase of EPA’s national program to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from cars and light trucks beginning in model year 2017. Together, the federal and California standards will maximize reductions in GHGs, air pollutants and air toxics from cars and light trucks while providing automakers regulatory certainty and streamlining compliance. Once published in the Federal Register, the proposal will be available for public comment and EPA will hold public hearings to receive further public input. Information on EPA’s notice of proposed rulemaking: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/tier3.htm ###
| |||||||||||
News Release: EPA Updates Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for New Power Plants
| CONTACT: WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued updates to pollution limits for new power plants under the mercury and air toxics standards, based on new information and analysis that became available to the agency after the rule was finalized. The updates are largely technical in nature and will have no impact on the sensible, achievable and cost-effective standards already set for existing power plants. The public health benefits and costs of the rule remain unchanged. EPA estimates that the standards, which will protect the health of millions of families, especially children, will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks every year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier-- preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year. The updated standards only apply to future power plants and do not change the types of pollution control technology that plants would install. The updates ensure that emissions limits are achievable and that pollution levels can be measured continuously.
| |||||||||||
News Release: EPA Updates Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for New Power Plants
| CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE EPA Updates Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for New Power Plants Agency also proposes updates to oil and gas storage tank standards
EPA’s mercury and air toxics standards are the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium and cyanide. EPA considered dozens of public comments from a range of stakeholders, including industry and environmental groups, as part of the public process to update the new source standards. Also on March 28, 2013, EPA proposed updates to the agency’s 2012 performance standards for storage tanks used in oil and natural gas production. The proposed changes reflect recent information showing that more higher-volume storage tanks will be coming on line than the agency originally estimated and would provide storage tank owners and operators additional time to comply with a requirement to reduce volatile organic compound emissions while equipment to reduce those emissions is being manufactured. EPA will take comment on today’s proposal for 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register and will hold a public hearing if requested.
More information on MATS: http://epa.gov/mats/actions.html More information on the proposed updates to the oil and gas regulations: http://www.epa.gov/airquality/oilandgas/actions.html
R049
| |||||||||||
EzineArticles Alert: Arts-and-Entertainment
| |||||||||||||||||||
EzineArticles Alert: Home-Based-Business
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
