On July 2, 2008, NHTSA published a notice in the Federal Register at 73 FR 37922 announcing that it has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to disclose and analyze the potential environmental impacts of proposed CAFE standards for model year 2011-2015 passenger cars and light trucks. The DEIS compares the potential environmental impacts of the proposed standards and alternative standards reflecting a full range of stringencies, and it analyzes direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts in proportion to their significance. The DEIS provides a detailed analysis of potential impacts on energy resources, air quality, and climate. The DEIS uses climate modeling and NHTSA's own computer model to provide quantitative estimates of potential impacts on air quality, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, global mean surface temperature, rainfall, and sea level rise. The DEIS provides a qualitative analysis of resources that may be impacted by changes in climate, such as freshwater resources, terrestrial ecosystems, coastal ecosystems, land use, human health, and environmental justice. It examines these impacts on the U.S. and on a global scale. In addition, the DEIS analyzes potential environmental impacts unrelated to climate change.
Comments on the draft EIS are due August 18, 2008. NHTSA will also hold a public hearing on August 4, 2008 at the NTSB Conference Center, 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, DC. Persons interested in attending must register prior to July 25, 2008 with Ms. Carol Hammel-Smith at 202-366-5206, nhtsa.nepa@dot.gov.
A copy of the draft EIS is available online at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.43ac99aefa80569eea57529cdba046a0/.
Docket reference: NHTSA-2008-0060.
