Federal Register: September 28, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 186)
DOCID: fr28se09-24 FR Doc E9-22516
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
Western Area Power Administration
CFR Citation: 40 CFR Parts 86 and 600
NOTICE: Part II
DOCID: fr28se09-24
DOCUMENT ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
EPA and NHTSA are issuing this joint proposal to establish a National Program consisting of new standards for lightduty vehicles that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy. This joint proposed rulemaking is consistent with the National Fuel Efficiency Policy announced by President Obama on May 19, 2009, responding to the country's critical need to address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption. EPA is proposing greenhouse gas emissions standards under the Clean Air Act, and NHTSA is proposing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, as amended. These standards apply to passenger cars, lightduty trucks, and mediumduty passenger vehicles, covering model years 2012 through 2016, and represent a harmonized and consistent National Program. Under the National Program, automobile manufacturers would be able to build a single lightduty national fleet that satisfies all requirements under both programs while ensuring that consumers still have a full range of vehicle choices.
SUMMARY:
Transportation Department, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
DOCUMENT BODY 2:
49 CFR Parts 531, 533, 537, and 538
[EPAHQOAR20090472; FRL89594; NHTSA20090059]
RIN 2060AP58; RIN 2127AK90
Proposed Rulemaking To Establish LightDuty Vehicle Greenhouse
Gas Emission Standards and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
A. Does This Action Apply to Me?
This action affects companies that manufacture or sell new light
duty vehicles, lightduty trucks, and mediumduty passenger vehicles, as defined under EPA's CAA regulations,\1\
[[Page 49455]]
and passenger automobiles (passenger cars) and nonpassenger automobiles (light trucks) as defined under NHTSA's CAFE
regulations.\2\ Regulated categories and entities include:
\1\ ``Lightduty vehicle,'' ``lightduty truck,'' and ``medium duty passenger vehicle'' are defined in 40 CFR 86.180301.
Generally, the term ``lightduty vehicle'' means a passenger car,
the term ``lightduty truck'' means a pickup truck, sportutility
vehicle, or minivan of up to 8,500 lbs gross vehicle weight rating,
and ``mediumduty passenger vehicle'' means a sportutility vehicle
or passenger van from 8,500 to 10,000 lbs gross vehicle weight
rating. Mediumduty passenger vehicles do not include pickup trucks.
\2\ ``Passenger car'' and ``light truck'' are defined in 49 CFR part 523.
NAICS Examples of potentially
Category codes \A\ regulated entities
Industry............................ 336111 Motor vehicle
manufacturers. 336112
Industry............................ 811112 Commercial Importers of
Vehicles and Vehicle
Components. 811198
541514
\A\ North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
This list is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather provides a guide regarding entities likely to be regulated by this action. To determine whether particular activities may be regulated by this action, you should carefully examine the regulations. You may direct questions regarding the applicability of this action to the person listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
B. Public Participation
NHTSA and EPA request comment on all aspects of this joint proposed rule. This section describes how you can participate in this process. How Do I Prepare and Submit Comments?
In this joint proposal, there are many issues common to both EPA's and NHTSA's proposals. For the convenience of all parties, comments submitted to the EPA docket will be considered comments submitted to the NHTSA docket, and vice versa. An exception is that comments submitted to the NHTSA docket on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement will not be considered submitted to the EPA docket. Therefore, the public only needs to submit comments to either one of the two agency dockets. Comments that are submitted for consideration by one agency should be identified as such, and comments that are submitted for consideration by both agencies should be identified as such. Absent such identification, each agency will exercise its best judgment to determine whether a comment is submitted on its proposal.
Further instructions for submitting comments to either the EPA or NHTSA docket are described below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Comments: Comments must be received on or before November 27, 2009. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act, comments on the information collection provisions must be received by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on or before October 28, 2009. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section on ``Public Participation'' for more information about written comments.
Hearings: NHTSA and EPA will jointly hold three public hearings on the following dates: October 21, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan; October 23, 2009 in New York, New York; and October 27, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. EPA and NHTSA will announce the addresses for each hearing location in a supplemental Federal Register Notice. The hearings will start at 9 a.m. local time and continue until everyone has had a chance to speak. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section on ``Public Participation'' for more information about the public hearings.