Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles and New Motor Vehicle Engines: Voluntary Standards for Light-Duty Vehicles

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Today EPA is proposing regulations to establish a National Low Emission Vehicle (National LEV) program. Under these regulations, auto manufacturers would be able to volunteer to comply with more stringent tailpipe standards for cars and light-duty trucks. Once a manufacturer opted into the program, the standards would be enforced in the same manner as any other federal motor vehicle pollution control requirement. EPA is proposing that this program would relieve the 13 states in the Northeastern part of the country (the Ozone Transport Region or OTR) of the December, 1994, regulatory obligation to adopt their own motor vehicle programs. Today's NPRM also proposes to harmonize federal and California motor vehicle standards and test procedures to enable manufacturers to design and test vehicles to one set of standards nationwide. This NPRM is another step in an on-going process to achieve cleaner air in the OTR. The OTR States submitted a petition in February, 1993, requesting EPA to require all states in the OTR to adopt the more stringent California motor vehicle program. Since then, under EPA's leadership, the OTR States, auto manufacturers, environmental groups, fuel providers and