EPA is inviting small businesses to participate as Small Entity Representatives (SERs) for a Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel. This Panel will focus on the agency’s development of a rule that proposes to set a new phase of greenhouse gas requirements for heavy-duty engines and trucks that would apply beginning in Model Year 2030.
EPA first adopted GHG requirements for heavy-duty vehicles in 2011. The Phase 1 rule created a new certification and compliance program based on the computer simulation of vehicle CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency rather than emissions and fuel efficiency testing, set performance-based standards, and adopted interim provisions to address impacts on small businesses. The Phase 1 standards began to apply in Model Year 2014 for heavy-duty vehicles. In 2016, EPA adopted a Phase 2 rule that set more stringent CO2 standards as well as limits for hydrofluorocarbon, methane, and nitrous oxide – three other greenhouse gases. The Phase 2 standards began to apply in Model Year 2021. The Phase 2 rule also updated the prescribed emission simulation model to account for additional and new fuel saving technologies and included flexibilities for small businesses that were identified by an SBAR Panel for that rulemaking.
This Phase 3 action will propose to revise the GHG emission limits for heavy-duty vehicles while relying on the same basic certification and compliance structure already in place. The Phase 3 proposed rulemaking changes are expected to include:
- More stringent vehicle emission standards to apply beginning in Model Year 2030, based on revised projections of GHG emission reduction technologies use by engine and vehicle manufacturers, including the penetration of existing greenhouse gas emissions reducing technologies and future technology development. In developing the new standards, EPA will consider the important role of zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) technologies to significantly reduce air pollution from the heavy-duty vehicle sector); and
- Limited and targeted flexibilities for small businesses.
The Panel will include federal representatives from the Small Business Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA. The Panel members ask a selected group of SERs to provide advice and recommendations on behalf of their company, government, or organization to inform the Panel members about the potential impacts of the proposed rule on small entities.