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Celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the Clean Car Standards and Urging the Federal Government to Strengthen Fuel Economy Standards That Reduce Pollution and Reliance on Fossil Fuels.
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WHEREAS, In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) set light-duty vehicle standards that will nearly double the efficiency of new cars and light trucks by 2025. This set of regulations is commonly known as United States Clean Car Standards; and
WHEREAS, The Washington Post reported in 2012 that the Clean Car Standards require U.S. vehicle fleets to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, which represents a 50 percent cut in greenhouse gases and a 40 percent reduction in fuel consumption when compared with 2012 vehicles; and
WHEREAS, The Obama Administration established the Clean Car Standards with the support of numerous stakeholders and over a dozen major car manufacturers, including Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Hyundai; and
WHEREAS, The Clean Car Standards, when fully implemented, will saved six billion metric tons of dangerous global warming pollution when fully phased in, cut oil use by 12 billion barrels and save Americans at least $67 billion by 2025; and
WHEREAS, The Program is already delivering environmental and economic benefits. According to the EPA, the fuel economies of new cars and trucks since the standards were first finalized have improved by more than 10 percent; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania has saved $1.2 billion to date by adhering to federal fuel economy and global warming emissions standards, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists. By 2030, each household in Pennsylvania will receive an average of $1,650 in benefits if the Clean Car Standards established by the Obama Administration remain in place; and
WHEREAS, In 2017, The Trump Administration announced through a notice on the federal register that it intends to relax the rules governing greenhouse gas emissions for new cars. The notice, issued by Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, announced that the Administration is considering rewriting emissions standards for cars and light trucks made between 2021 and 2025; and
WHEREAS, The response to this notice from those concerned about the impact of global warming has been vociferous. Officials in California have called for the continuance of the Clean Car Standards, citing scientific analyses suggesting that global warming, among other things, worsened the effects of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. 2016 was the hottest year ever recorded in human history and 97 percent of Americans live in a county that has suffered from at least one weather-related disaster since 2010; and
WHEREAS, Numerous local environmental stakeholders and advocacy groups are using the 5th Anniversary of the Clean Car Standards to celebrate its successes and to advocate for the federal government to maintain these historic regulations. Advocacy groups celebrating the anniversary include PennEnvironment, Clean Air Council, Mom’s Clean Air Force, and the Sierra Club; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the Clean Car Standards and urge the federal government to strengthen fuel economy standards that reduce pollution and reliance on fossil fuels.
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