Auto Emissions Evidence

CAFE Standards Not an Undue Burden on Domestic Manufacturers

01/01/2002

National Academy of Sciences. 2002.

“Effectiveness and Impact of Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Standards” was written at the request of Congress explores the various impacts of CAFE standards. The authors find that the policy “clearly contributed to increased fuel economy”, while “the R&D demands created by the standards did not unduly burden the domestic manufacturers”.

Experts Claim the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) Saves Lives and Money

07/01/1994

Clarence Ditlow and Joan Claybrook. Testimony before Congress. July 1994.

"Criticism Run Amok" claims that soon-to-be Justice Stephen Breyer had been unjustly critical of the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). The authors argue that the NHTSA has “saved hundreds of thousands of lives and untold billions of dollars”.

Methods for Reducing Lead Exposure in Young Children and Other Risk Groups

11/01/1990

P Mushak and AF Crocett. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. November 1990.

“Methods for reducing lead exposure in young children and other risk groups” shows that blood-lead levels in children fell every year, eventually to below toxic levels, as leaded gasoline was slowly phased out.

CAFE Standard's Positive Effect On Fuel Economy and Consumption

05/01/1986

Glenn G. Parsons. National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration. May 1986.

“Fuel Economy and Annual Travel for Passenger Cars and Light Trucks: National On-Road Survey” finds that between 1977 (CAFE standards went into effect in 1978) and 1981, fuel economy for passenger cars increased by 41 percent, while fuel consumption was reduced by $53. 8 billion.

Costs and Benefits of Reducing Lead in Gasoline

02/01/1985

Joel Schwartz, Hugh Pitcher, Ronnie Levin, Bart Ostro, Albert L. Nichols. Environmental Protection Agency. February 1985.

Environmental Protection Agency’s own “Costs and Benefits of Reducing Lead in Gasoline” shows that benefits already outstripped costs by $700 million in 1985, largely due to reduced medical and auto maintenance costs.

Chronological Trend in Blood Levels Between 1976 and 1980

06/09/1983

Joseph L. Annest, James L. Pirkle, Diane Makuc, Jane W. Neese, David D. Bayse and Mary Grace Kovar. New England Journal of Medicine. June 9, 1983.

“Chronological Trend in Blood Levels between 1976 and 1980” (subscription required) clearly depicts the success of the EPA’s effort to remove lead from gasoline. Due to the agency’s regulatory push, the lead levels in American gasoline fell by 50 percent (between 1976 and 1980). Atthe same time, blood-lead levels fell 37 percent.

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