improving air quality: controlling mobile sources chapter 11 © 2004 thomson learning/south-western
TRANSCRIPT
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