WASHINGTON, March 5 (UPI) -- Tougher emissions standards for U.S. automobiles scheduled for debate in Washington Thursday include a trade-off for carmakers, a policy expert said.
The so-called California system, a set of tougher greenhouse gas emissions standards adopted by 13 other states and the District of Columbia "allows companies to over-comply in trucks and swing credits over to cars," Roland Hwang, vehicle policy director at the National Resources Defense Council, told USA Today.
That provision makes it easier for U.S. carmakers to comply with the standards, as they produce more trucks than cars, the newspaper said.
Hearings are scheduled for the Environmental Protection Agency to review a 2007 suspension of the standards that would mandate U.S. cars and smaller sports utility vehicles average 40 miles per gallon by 2015. Larger vehicles, including minivans and full-size pickup trucks, would have to average 25 miles per gallon.
Adopting the rules would currently affect laws that cover 40 percent of the nation's vehicle sales, USA Today said.
It would also increase the price of a vehicle.
The Union of Concerned Scientists said the average car or truck would cost between $700 and $1,400 more if the new standards are adopted.
