New gas regulation laws increase oil consumption by Ian He




New gas regulation laws increase oil consumption

























Recently, the EPA has announced they would freeze fuel economy rates. In 2011, President Obama contacted large automobile corporations and proposed to increase fuel economy to 54.5 mpg from 2016-2025. This program would improve fuel economy, reduce gas emissions and pollution, save consumer $1.7 trillion dollars and reduce oil consumption by 12 billion barrels. The EPA’s new proposed plan to freeze fuel rates at 37 mpg would increase fuel use by 20% by 2035, would cost $457 billion and cause 13,000 deaths by 2050 due to decreased air quality, according to energy firm Energy Innovation. The Obama administration’s fuel targets ensures that car companies are continuing to make increasingly efficient vehicles. The target of 54.5 mpg by 2025 translates to around 36 mpg in real driving conditions, while the new Trump administration proposal would freeze it at around 30 in real world conditions. Freezing the fuel target at the new 37 mpg would increase daily fuel consumption by 2-3%, which is about 500,000 barrels a day, drastically contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.


The EPA justifies the new rate by claiming that higher efficiency standards means higher priced cars, making it harder for consumers to switch from older, less safe cars to newer, safer cars. The EPA claims that 1,000 lives would be saved per year if the new changes were to be put in place, but an email sent in June by senior EPA staffers noted that it would actually increase highway deaths by 17 per year. Akin to this, air pollution from fuel emissions currently cause 30,000 premature deaths every year, which would increase with the fuel target freeze.




How do you think this would affect the general population?

The Obama-era rates were proposed as a result of the 2008 stock market crash. Gas prices shot up and automakers that were making bigger, more fuel hungry cars were in a bad place, meaning that companies had to make more efficient cars. How do you think the new changes presented by the EPA would affect the car economy?

What do you think would be the best way to reduce climate change through transportation, whether it be more efficient cars or renewable energy?



Comments

  1. if this happens what changes will we see in the environment?

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  2. How would America react to the new cars and gas prices. Electric cars is also a way to reduce the gas mileage but can still be expensive.
    -Nik

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  3. Would America be happy with new prices

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  4. In my opinion, limiting cars to a certain gas mileage will not benefit the amount of pollution in our air. In the long run, people will just need to keep getting gas more frequently, causing the same, or possibly even more, pollution in the atmosphere.
    Caroline Wilhelms

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  5. making cars have a certain amount of gas mileage not only takes away from the industry but also takes away from the amount of people who will be able to buy those cars they won't be cheap to create something that fits a certain criteria and it's also a new car

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  6. With this it will make more people have car but make gas prices go up and have more emissions with it.
    -Ray

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  7. would people like the change of car prices and gas prices changing or would they respond to it negitivly.

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  8. electric car cost more then cars with gas but the electric car are more fuel efficient



    TajMckinney

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  9. would people like the new prices?

    Sammie Katz

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  10. In the long run, the general population might pay more money in the long run due to this new law. While reducing the miles per gallon cap on cars would make the cars themselves cheaper, you would need to be buying gas more often, and subsequently paying more than you previously would have.

    The car market will probably sway back in favor of bigger, fuel-guzzling cars, just because it's now not a bad financial decision to own one, given that the more efficient cars will no longer be available.

    Simply put, the best way of managing CO2 emissions from transportation, is to use public transport, carpool, bike, or simply walk everywhere. With both highly optimized cars, and heavier, fuel-hungry cars, carbon emissions are high regardless.

    -Eva Deniszczuk ★

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    Replies
    1. Public transportation would definitely be used more, especially buses, since safer, newer buses would be cheaper and more accessible. If more people use public transportation because of this(mainly students), maybe this would reduce carbon emissions if less people use private transportation. On that same note though, maybe people would prefer driving in cheaper, newer cars too.
      Ian He

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  11. I think there is a better option to lower air pollution. Reducing millage wont really do anything in my opinion. People will just get gas more often.
    -Olamide Ayeni

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  12. is this better them electric cars

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  13. if this happens what changes will take effect in the enviorment -ty

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