PROVIDENCE – Rhode Islanders stand to save $335 million at the gas pump per year in 2030, if the fuel efficiency standards are raised to 60 miles per gallon for cars and light trucks by 2025, said Environment Rhode Island, which belongs to the Go 60 MPG coalition, on Thursday.
The Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency will begin developing standards for cars and light trucks later this month for model years 2017 to 2025, said Environment Rhode Island, noting that the new standards will build on the recently-finalized standards covering model years 2012 to 2016.
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The first-ever “green” standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks for the model years after 2014 are also currently under development.
The analysis, conducted by the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Natural Resources Defense Council, examined the potential benefits for Rhode Island if the standard were to be raised to 60 MPG by 2025 for cars and light trucks. It showed that, in addition to the financial benefits, the new standards would cut oil use in the Ocean State by 140 million gallons per year in 2030.
On a national level, the gas pump savings would be $100 billion in 2030 based on the average fuel efficiency standard at 60 miles per gallon by 2025. The standards are also estimated to cut annual global warming emissions by 465 million metric tons in 2030 or as much global warming pollution as 120 coal-fired power plants produce.
The coalition Go 60 MPG, a group supporting the 60 miles per gallon by 2025 standard, recently sponsored a poll that revealed 74 percent of likely voters favor having “the federal government require the auto industry to increase average fuel efficiency.” Of the respondents, 66 percent still supported the idea even if it added $3,000 to the price of a new car and 83 percent said they would favor the polity if the $3,000 were recouped in four years through savings at the pump.
The survey – conducted by the Mellman Group – sampled 1,000 people between Sept. 8 and 13 and has an approximate margin of error of 3.1 percent.
