THE CONTROL OF AUTOMOTIVE EMISSIONS

MOST OF THE AMBIENT AIR QUALITY STANDARDS ARE UNATTAINABLE IN MOST URBAN AREAS IN THE TIME PERIOD SPECIFIED BY THE CLEAN AIR ACT DESPITE THE IMPOSITION OF SEVERE EMISSION CONTROLS BOTH ON STATIONARY AND MOBILE SOURCES AND THE ACTIVATION OF THE COMPLEX EMISSION MONITORING ORGANIZATION CALLED FORTH BY THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT. THE 1970 AMMENDMENTS REQUIRE THAT STATIONARY POLLUTANT SOURCES BE CONTROLLED BY APPLICATION OF THE BEST AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE COST OF ACHIEVING SUCH CONTROL. MOBILE SOURCES ARE REQUIRED TO REDUCE THEIR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS BY A SPECIFIC MINIMUM PERCENTAGE BY CERTAIN DEADLINES REGARDLESS OF COST. THIS DIFFERENCE IN LEGISLATION DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE ANY RELATIONSHIP TO THE RELATIVE EFFECTS OF STATIONARY AND MOBILE SOURCES ON THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE COUNTRY, AS MEASURED BY THE ECONOMIC COSTS AND DAMAGES ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE DIFFERENT POLLUTANT SOURCES. BECAUSE OF THE RELATIVELY SHORT LIMITS FOR COMPLIANCE ESTABLISHED BY THE CLEAN AIR ACT, THE TECHNOLOGY OF AUTOMOTIVE EMISSION CONTROL IS FOLLOWING THE LINE OF MODIFYING THE CONVENTIONAL GASOLINE ENGINE AND ADDING VARIOUS APPURTENANCES TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM TO PURIFY THE EXHAUST GASES. THE PURSUIT OF OTHER PROMISING ALTERNATIVES HAS NOT BEEN AS ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE THEIR TRANSITION INTO MASS PRODUCTION APPEARED TO BE IMPOSSIBLE IN THE REQUIRED TIME FRAME. RELAXATION OF THE PRESCRIBED FEDERAL LIMIT FOR 1967 OF .4 GM/MI NITROGEN OXIDES TO APPROXIMATELY 1-2 GM/MI WOULD GREATLY REDUCE THE COST OF CONTROLLING THIS DIFFICULT AUTOMOTIVE POLLUTANT. A "TWO CAR FAMILY" FOR THE COUNTRY MIGHT BE A SOUNDER APPROACH TO THE AUTOMOTIVE EMISSION PROBLEM. THIS STRATEGY CALLS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TWO TYPES OF VEHICLES--A HIGH COST LOW EMISSION AUTOMOBILE AND A LOWER COST, HIGHER EMISSION VEHICLE FOR THOSE PARTS OF THE COUNTRY WHOSE AIR QUALITY WOULD NOT BE DEGRADED BY THESE LESS CONTROLLED VEHICLES.

• Corporate Authors:

  Cum Regul Effects Cost Auto Transp

  ,    
• Publication Date: 1972-2-28

Media Info

• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: p. 1-41
• Serial:
  • Publication of: Smith, Wilbur & Associates
  • Publisher: Smith, Wilbur & Associates

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air pollution; Air quality management; Automobiles; Exhaust gases; Laws; Motor vehicles; Pollution; Standards
• Old TRIS Terms: Motor vehicle laws & regulations
• Subject Areas: Environment; Highways; Law; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223791
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jul 17 1972 12:00AM