[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 9 (Friday, January 13, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2028-2029]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-617]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 85, 86, and 600

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 523, 531, 533, 536, and 537

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0799; FRL-9618-5; NHTSA-2010-0131]
RIN 2060-AQ54; RIN 2127-AK79


2017 and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas 
Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards; Extension of 
Comment Period

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway 
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: EPA and NHTSA are announcing a 14-day extension of the comment 
period for the joint proposed rules ``2017 and Later Model Year Light-
Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Corporate Average Fuel 
Economy Standards,'' published in the Federal Register on December 1, 
2011 (76 FR 74854). The comment period was to end on January 30, 2012 
(60 days after publication of the proposals in the Federal Register). 
This document extends the comment period to February 13, 2012. This 
extension of the comment period is provided to allow the public 
additional time to comment on the proposed rule.
    The extension of the comment period does not apply to NHTSA's Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), available on NHTSA's Web 
site at www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy. The comment period for NHTSA's 
Draft EIS closes on January 31, 2012.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before February 13, 2012 
in order to be considered timely.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-0799 and/or NHTSA-2010-0131, by one of the following methods:

 Online: www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line instructions 
for submitting comments.
 Email: [email protected].
 Fax: EPA: (202) 566-9744; NHTSA: (202) 493-2251.
 Mail:
    [cir] EPA: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/
DC), Air and Radiation Docket, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2010-0799.
    [cir] NHTSA: Docket Management Facility, M-30, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.
 Hand Delivery:
    [cir] EPA: Docket Center, (EPA/DC) EPA West, Room B102, 1301 
Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC, Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2010-0799. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's 
normal hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for 
deliveries of boxed information.
    [cir] NHTSA: West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. 
Eastern Time, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.

    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2010-0799 and/or NHTSA-2010-0131. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION of 
the proposed rule section on ``Public Participation'' for more 
information about submitting written comments.
    Docket: All documents in the dockets are listed in the 
www.regulations.gov index. Although listed in the index, some 
information is not publicly available, e.g., confidential business 
information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted 
by statute. Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will 
be publicly available in hard copy in EPA's docket, and electronically 
in NHTSA's online docket. Publicly available docket materials are 
available either electronically in www.regulations.gov or in hard copy 
at the following locations: EPA: EPA Docket Center, EPA/DC, EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Public 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744. NHTSA: Docket Management Facility, M-
30, U.S. Department of Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Rm. 
W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. The Docket 
Management Facility is open between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time, 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

[[Page 2029]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: EPA: Christopher Lieske, Office of 
Transportation and Air Quality, Assessment and Standards Division, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 
48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4584; fax number: (734) 214-4816; 
email address: [email protected], or contact the Assessment 
and Standards Division; email address: [email protected]. NHTSA: 
Rebecca Yoon, Office of the Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 
20590. Telephone: (202) 366-2992. You may learn more about the proposal 
by visiting NHTSA's or EPA's Web pages at http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy or http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm or by 
searching the public dockets (NHTSA-2010-0131 (for the proposed rule) 
or NHTSA-2011-0056 (for the Draft EIS); EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0799) at 
www.regulations.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the NHTSA and EPA proposals for ``2017 
and Later Model Year Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions and 
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards,'' the agencies invited 
comment from interested parties on all aspects of the proposal. EPA and 
NHTSA received multiple requests for a 30-day extension of the comment 
period. Those requests can be found in the dockets for the rulemaking 
listed above under ADDRESSES. The agencies have considered these 
requests and believe that a 14-day extension beyond the original 60 
days would be sufficient. The agencies note that the proposal was 
prominently posted and available for public review on each agency's Web 
site on November 16, 2011. Thus, with a 14-day extension, commenters 
will have had, as a practical matter, a total of 90 days to review the 
rulemaking documents. Accordingly, the public comment period for the 
proposed rules is extended until February 13, 2012. Please see the 
agencies' discussion regarding consideration of comments received in 
the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published in the Federal Register on 
December 1, 2011 (76 FR 75855-74856) and which is available on NHTSA's 
Web site at http://www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/rulemaking/pdf/cafe/2017-25_CAFE_NPRM.pdf and EPA's Web site at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regulations.htm. NHTSA and EPA will consider all comments 
received before the close of business on the comment closing date, and 
will also consider comments received after that date to the extent 
practicable.
    This extension of the comment period does not apply to NHTSA's 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS), available on NHTSA's 
Web site at www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy. The comment period for NHTSA's 
Draft EIS closes on January 31, 2012.
    The joint proposed rules issued by EPA and NHTSA would reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption of light-duty vehicles 
for model years 2017-2025. On May 21, 2010, President Obama issued a 
Presidential Memorandum requesting that NHTSA and EPA develop through 
notice and comment rulemaking a coordinated National Program to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption of light-duty vehicles 
for model years 2017-2025, building upon the success of the agencies' 
joint rulemaking to establish fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions 
standards for model years 2012-2016. The proposal, consistent with the 
President's request, responds to the country's critical needs to 
address global climate change and to reduce oil consumption. NHTSA is 
proposing Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards under the Energy 
Policy and Conservation Act, as amended by the Energy Independence and 
Security Act, and EPA is proposing greenhouse gas emissions standards 
under the Clean Air Act. These standards would apply to passenger cars, 
light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles, and, if 
ultimately adopted, would represent a continuation of the harmonized 
and consistent National Program. EPA is also proposing minor changes to 
the light-duty vehicle regulations applicable to model years 2012-2016, 
with respect to air conditioner performance, regulatory treatment of 
emergency vehicles, and measurement of nitrous oxides.
    The proposal for which EPA and NHTSA are extending the comment 
period was published in the Federal Register on December 1, 2011 (76 FR 
74854) and is also available at the Web pages listed above under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and in the rulemaking dockets.

    Dated: January 6, 2012.
Ronald Medford,
Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
    Dated: January 6, 2012.
Margo T. Oge,
Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Environmental 
Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 2012-617 Filed 1-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P