NGVAmerica and its member companies commend the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for today鈥檚 proposal to increase fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the nation鈥檚 trucks. The proposal, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles鈥擯hase 2, is expected to greatly improve the fuel efficiency and emissions performance of new medium- and heavy-duty trucks, including those powered by natural gas. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 proposal has the potential to be a win-win-win that will lower greenhouse gas emissions, reduce fuel costs and reduce our nation鈥檚 dependence on foreign oil,鈥� said Matthew Godlewski, President of NGVAmerica. 鈥淣GVAmerica and its members welcome today鈥檚 announcement, and we look forward to working with EPA, NHTSA and the administration to finalize a rule that will meet these important goals.鈥�
Natural gas trucks are currently available from a wide variety of U.S.-based manufacturers who offer the largest selection of factory-produced natural gas-powered transit buses, refuse, and short- and long-haul vehicles available anywhere in the world. 聽Truck and bus fleets that use natural gas get the benefit of using a fuel that is clean, abundant and domestic. Today鈥檚 proposal builds on the first EPA/NHTSA rule for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, which was finalized in 2011. The Phase 1 rule covered trucks, buses and other commercial vehicles manufactured in model years 2014鈥�2018, and created the foundation for today鈥檚 proposal. The Phase 2 proposal is expected to be finalized in 2016, and will cover vehicles built after 2018. 鈥淯nder the Phase 1 rule, natural gas trucks and buses are already delivering lower fuel costs and reduced emissions to fleet operators and consumers nationwide,鈥� said Godlewski. 聽鈥淲e have appreciated the administration鈥檚 collaborative effort in developing this proposal. 聽We look forward to working with EPA, NHTSA and the administration to finalize a Phase 2 rule that will create new opportunities for fleets to use natural gas to further reduce fuel costs and emissions, while increasing energy security.鈥�
Medium- and heavy-duty trucks powered by natural gas continue to show strong growth across a variety of applications. To highlight this growth in just one state, a recent report from the Railroad Commission of Texas shows sales for natural gas as a transportation fuel have increased 78 percent in Texas over last year, and IHS recently released a study, LNG in Transportation: Challenging Oil鈥檚 Grip, that projects significant growth in the heavy-duty and high-horsepower markets in the years ahead.
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