New emissions mandates would apply to trucks for model years 2014 to 2018. EPA plan could cut truck emissions

Large commercial trucks would be forced to slash their greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 20 percent under a new proposal from the Obama administration.

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department on Monday announced the first-ever greenhouse gas limits and fuel-efficiency standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses.


The draft rules would mandate cuts in fuel consumption and emissions by up to 20 percent for long-haul tractor trailers, up to 15 percent for large pickup trucks and vans and up to 10 percent for vehicles like garbage trucks and school buses.

The rules will apply to trucks for model years 2014 to 2018.

EPA estimates the rules would cut heat-trapping emissions by nearly 250 million metric tons and reduce fuel use by 500 million barrels of oil.

“These new standards are another step in our work to develop a new generation of clean, fuel-efficient American vehicles that will improve our environment and strengthen our economy,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson said in a statement.

The rule marks the latest in a series from EPA and DOT to curb greenhouse gases from the transportation sector.

In April, the administration finalized the first national greenhouse gas limits for cars and light-duty vehicles.

Heavy-duty trucks, including vehicles ranging from large pickup trucks to 18-wheelers, are responsible for about 20 percent of U.S. transportation emissions.

The new rules would provide $41 billion in net benefits over the lifetime of model year 2014 to 2018 vehicles, according to DOT and EPA estimates.

Some members of the trucking industry have already signaled support for the new rules, but the administration can expect pushback from environmentalists, who have called for standards to reduce trucks’ fuel consumption by as much as 35 percent.