[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 144 (Tuesday, July 28, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44863-44864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-18527]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

40 CFR Parts 9, 22, 85, 86, 600, 1033, 1036, 1037, 1039, 1042, 
1065, 1066, and 1068

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Parts 512, 523, 534, 535, 537, and 583

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2014-0827; NHTSA-2014-0132; FRL-9931-48-OAR]
RIN 2060-AS16; 2127-AL52


Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for 
Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles--Phase 2; Notice of Public 
Hearings and Comment Period

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

ACTION: Notice of public hearings; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National 
Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) are announcing 
public hearings to be held for the joint proposed rules ``Greenhouse 
Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty 
Engines and Vehicles--Phase 2,'' and also for NHTSA's Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement. The proposed rules were published in 
the Federal Register on July 13, 2015. The Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement was published on June 19, 2015, and is available on the NHTSA 
Web site mentioned below. Two hearings will be held on August 6 and 
August 18, 2015.

DATES: NHTSA and EPA will jointly hold a public hearing on Thursday, 
August 6, 2015, beginning at 9:00 a.m. local time, and a second hearing 
on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, beginning at 9:00 a.m. local time. EPA and 
NHTSA will make every effort to accommodate all speakers that arrive 
and register. Each hearing will continue until everyone has had a 
chance to speak. If you would like to present oral testimony at one of 
these this public hearings, please contact the person identified under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT by August 3, 2015, for the first 
hearing, or by August 11, 2015, for the second hearing.
    In order to provide commenters 30 days after the last public 
hearing, the comment period for the proposal is being extended through 
September 17, 2015.

ADDRESSES: The August 6, 2015 hearing will be held at the Palmer House 
Hilton Hotel, 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago, Illinois. The location 
for the August 18, 2015 hearing in the Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA area 
will be announced in a subsequent Federal Register document. The 
hearings will be held at sites accessible to individuals with 
disabilities. Written comments on the proposed rule may also be 
submitted to EPA and NHTSA electronically, by mail, by facsimile, or 
through hand delivery/courier. Please refer to the notice of proposed 
rulemaking for the addresses and detailed instructions for submitting 
written comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you would like to present oral 
testimony at a public hearing, please contact JoNell Iffland at EPA by 
the date specified under DATES, at: Office of Transportation and Air 
Quality, Assessment and Standards Division (ASD), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; 
telephone number: (734) 214-4454; fax number: (734) 214-4050; email 
address: [email protected] (preferred method for registering). 
Please provide the following information: Name, affiliation, address, 
email address, and telephone and fax numbers, and whether you require 
accommodations such as a sign language interpreter.
    Questions concerning the NHTSA proposed rule or Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement should be addressed to NHTSA: Ryan Hagen or Analiese 
Marchesseault, Office of Chief Counsel, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 
Telephone: (202) 366-2992. Questions concerning the EPA proposed rule 
should be addressed to EPA: Tad Wysor, Office of Transportation and Air 
Quality, Assessment and Standards Division (ASD), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; 
telephone number: (734) 214-4332; fax number: (734) 214-4050; email 
address: [email protected]. You may learn more about the jointly 
proposed rules by visiting NHTSA's or EPA's Web sites at http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy or http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regs-heavy-duty.htm or by searching the rulemaking dockets (NHTSA-2014-0132; 
EPA-HQ-OAR-2014-0827) at www.regulations.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the public hearings is to 
provide the public an opportunity to present oral comments regarding 
NHTSA and EPA's proposal for ``Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards and 
Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and 
Vehicles--Phase 2.'' These hearings also offer an opportunity for the 
public to provide oral comments regarding NHTSA's Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement, accompanying the proposed NHTSA fuel efficiency 
standards. The proposed rules would establish a second round of 
standards for the agencies' comprehensive Heavy-Duty National Program, 
which would further reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase fuel 
efficiency for on-road heavy-duty vehicles. These new standards would 
phase in over time, beginning in the 2018 model year and entering into 
full effect in model year 2027. NHTSA's proposed fuel consumption 
standards and EPA's proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) emission 
standards are tailored to each of four regulatory categories of heavy-
duty vehicles: (1) Combination Tractors; (2) Trailers used in 
combination with those tractors; (3) Heavy-duty Pickup Trucks and Vans; 
and (4) Vocational Vehicles. The

[[Page 44864]]

proposal also includes separate fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas 
standards for the engines that power combination tractors and 
vocational vehicles.
    The joint proposed rules for which EPA and NHTSA are holding the 
public hearings were published in the Federal Register on July 13, 2015 
(80 FR 40138), and are also available at the Web sites listed above 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. NHTSA's Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement is available on the NHTSA Web site and in NHTSA's 
rulemaking docket, both referenced above. Once NHTSA and EPA learn how 
many people have registered to speak at each public hearing, we will 
allocate an appropriate amount of time to each participant, allowing 
time for necessary breaks. In addition, we will reserve a block of time 
for anyone else in the audience who wants to give testimony. For 
planning purposes, each speaker should anticipate speaking for 
approximately five minutes, although we may need to shorten that time 
if there is a large turnout. We request that you bring two copies of 
your statement or other material for the EPA and NHTSA panels.
    NHTSA and EPA will conduct the hearings informally, and technical 
rules of evidence will not apply. We will arrange for a written 
transcript of each hearing and keep the official record for the 
proposed rule open for 30 days after the last public hearing to allow 
speakers to submit supplementary information. Panel members may ask 
clarifying questions during the oral statements but will not respond to 
the statements at that time. You may make arrangements for copies of 
the transcripts directly with the court reporter. Written statements 
and supporting information submitted during the comment period will be 
considered with the same weight as oral comments and supporting 
information presented at the public hearings. The comment period for 
the proposed rule will be extended such that the closing date is 30 
days after the last public hearing. Therefore, written comments on the 
proposal must be post marked no later than September 17, 2015.

    Dated: July 22, 2015.
Raymond R. Posten,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking, National Highway Traffic Safety 
Administration.
    Dated: July 22, 2015.
Christopher Grundler,
Director, Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Environmental 
Protection Agency.
[FR Doc. 2015-18527 Filed 7-27-15; 8:45 am]
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