The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) are currently accepting public comments on the first-ever national fuel economy and emissions regulations for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Trucks account for only four percent of all the vehicles on our nation's roads, but they use 20 percent of our fuel. The technology already exists to make these vehicles cleaner, and everyone benefits when we have more efficient trucks on the roads -- we get cleaner air and we can help break our dependence on oil.
Please send a message to the EPA and DOT. From holiday packages shipped to far away friends and family, to the abundance of goods that crisscross our country daily, we deserve a truck fleet that minimizes pollution and oil use.
Subject: ID No. NHTSA-2010-0079 and/or EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0162
Dear [
Decision Maker],
Every day, medium- and heavy-duty trucks deliver holiday greetings and gifts to far away friends and family members and ship food, clothes, televisions, and other goods around the country. It's in everyone's best interest if we clean up these trucks.
I urge you to finalize the strongest possible fuel economy and emissions standards for new trucks, utilizing all available technology to save fuel and cut pollution. With its "UCS Convoy" model, the Union of Concerned Scientists has shown that truckers stand to gain tens of thousands of dollars in net savings if improvements are made to all of the components of trucks, including engines, trailers, tractors, and tires. And all Americans stand to gain from a significant reduction in oil use and pollution from this part of our transportation market.
Therefore, please strengthen the proposed fuel economy and emissions standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, taking into account the full suite of cost-effective solutions already available.
Thank you for your efforts on this important issue.
