Improving Air Quality: Controlling Mobile Sources

Chapter 11

© 2004 Thomson Learning/South-Western

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Urban Air Pollution: An Important Policy Motivation

Measuring U.S. Air Quality Air quality index (AQI) – an index that signifies the

worst daily air quality in an urban area over some time period

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Urban Air Pollution: An Important Policy Motivation

Urban Smog Photochemical smog – a type of smog caused by

pollutants that chemically react in sunlight to form new substances

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Controlling Mobile Sources

Brief Retrospective on Motor Vehicle Emission Controls 1963 – Congress passed into law the Clean Air Act,

the first extensive set of air quality standards Early years of mobile source controls were marked

by a series of extensions and a chronicle of delays

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Controlling Mobile SourcesFigure 11.2 National Emissions Estimates for Mobile Sources by

Major Category for 1999

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Controlling Mobile Sources

Current U.S. Controls on Motor Vehicles and Fuels 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments strengthened U.S.

controls on motor vehicle emissions and fuels Included incentives to encourage technological

development of cleaner-running vehicles and cleaner alternative fuels

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Controlling Mobile Sources

Emission reductions for motor vehicles Onboard Pollution Control Systems for Light-Duty

Vehicles Fuel Quality Controls

Reformulated gasoline – newly developed fuels that emit less hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and toxics than conventional gasoline

Oxygenated fuel – formulations with enhanced oxygen content to allow for more complete combustion and hence a reduction in CO emissions

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Controlling Mobile Sources

Clean Fuel Vehicles – a vehicle certified to meet stringent emission standards

Clean alternative fuels – fuels such as methanol, ethanol, or other alcohols, or power sources, such as electricity, used in a clean fuel vehicle

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Economic Analysis of Mobile Source Controls

Absence of Benefit-Cost Analysis: An Inefficient Decision Rule Technology forcing – by design specifically set to

compel the auto industry to find solutions Benefit-based – standards set to protect public

health and welfare

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Economic Analysis of Mobile Source ControlsFigure 11.3 Inefficiency of a Benefit-Based Decision Rule on

Motor Vehicle Emissions

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Economic Analysis of Mobile Source Controls

Uniformity of Auto Emissions Standards Ongoing problem with U.S. mobile source controls

is that with few exceptions the emission standards are applicable across the board on every model produced and without regard to where the vehicle will be driven

Uniform standard Two-tiered standard

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Economic Analysis of Mobile Source Controls

Inherent Bias Against New versus Used Automobiles One dilemma of environmental law is the inherent

bias caused by more stringent controls placed on new polluting sources

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Economic Analysis of Mobile Source ControlsFigure 11.5 Modeling the Bias Against New Automobiles