EnvironmentEPAemissionsEarth Day

EPA Tier 3 Guidelines Could Equal 33 Million Cars Off The Road, And Fewer Deaths

This Could Prevent 2,500 Premature Deaths Each
Nick Visser
By 

Senior Reporter, HuffPost

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Traffic on the northbound and southbound lanes of the 110 Harbor Freeway starts to stack up during rush hour traffic on February 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. According to a report, traffic congestion was the second-worst in the country in the greater Los Angeles area. An average commuter spent 61 hours delayed in traffic during 2011. The cost of the wasted time and gas is about $1,300 per commuter according to a report. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 05: Traffic on the northbound and southbound lanes of the 110 Harbor Freeway starts to stack up during rush hour traffic on February 5, 2013 in Los Angeles, United States. According to a report, traffic congestion was the second-worst in the country in the greater Los Angeles area. An average commuter spent 61 hours delayed in traffic during 2011. The cost of the wasted time and gas is about $1,300 per commuter according to a report. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

A recent report released by the American Lung Association found that by 2030 the EPA's proposed fuel efficiency standards could prevent more than 2,500 premature deaths each year and be equivalent to taking 33 million cars off the road.

The proposed Tier 3 program would mandate new vehicle emissions standards and lower the sulfur content in gasoline from 30 parts per million to 10 by 2017. The average cost per car over the course of its lifetime would be close to $130, about a penny per gallon.

A report by the EPA presented similar statistics, and found that up to 2,400 premature deaths per year and 23,000 cases of respiratory illness in children could help be prevented with the new standards.

The American Petroleum Institute, the largest trade association for the oil and natural gas industry, also released a report this week that said the Tier 3 regulations wouldn't provide any measurable ozone air quality benefits. The group warned that the change could increase gas prices by 30 percent by 2015 and calls the proposal "ill-conceived."

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