Mobile source air pollution

Mobile source air pollution includes any air pollution emitted by motor vehicles, airplanes, locomotives, and other engines and equipment that can be moved from one location to another. Many of these pollutants contribute to environmental degradation and have negative effects on human health. To prevent unnecessary damage to human health and the environment, environmental regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have established policies to minimize air pollution from mobile sources. Similar agencies exist at the state level. Due to the large number of mobile sources of air pollution, and their ability to move from one location to another, mobile sources are regulated differently from stationary sources, such as power plants. Instead of monitoring individual emitters, such as an individual vehicle, mobile sources are often regulated more broadly through design and fuel standards. Examples of this include corporate average fuel economy standards and laws that ban leaded gasoline in the United States. The increase in the number of motor vehicles driven in the U.S. has made efforts to limit mobile source pollution challenging. As a result, there have been a number of different regulatory instruments implemented to reach the desired emissions goals. Mobile source air pollution includes any air pollution emitted by motor vehicles, airplanes, locomotives, and other engines and equipment that can be moved from one location to another. Many of these pollutants contribute to environmental degradation and have negative effects on human health. To prevent unnecessary damage to human health and the environment, environmental regulatory agencies such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have established policies to minimize air pollution from mobile sources. Similar agencies exist at the state level. Due to the large number of mobile sources of air pollution, and their ability to move from one location to another, mobile sources are regulated differently from stationary sources, such as power plants. Instead of monitoring individual emitters, such as an individual vehicle, mobile sources are often regulated more broadly through design and fuel standards. Examples of this include corporate average fuel economy standards and laws that ban leaded gasoline in the United States. The increase in the number of motor vehicles driven in the U.S. has made efforts to limit mobile source pollution challenging. As a result, there have been a number of different regulatory instruments implemented to reach the desired emissions goals. There are a number of different mobile sources of air pollution, some contributing more to pollution than others. As mentioned previously, mobile sources are regulated differently from stationary sources due to the large number of sources and their ability to move from one location to another. Different mobile sources operate differently and generate different emission types and levels. The E.P.A. differentiates between mobile sources by classifying them as either on-road vehicles or non-road vehicles. On-road vehicles and non-road vehicles are often subject to different regulations. There are a number of different pollutants that are emitted by mobile sources. Some make up a large portion of the total air concentration for that particular pollutant while others do not make up as much of the total air concentration. EPA has ten regional offices, each of which is responsible for the execution of programs within several states and territories. EPA's website provides a detailed list of state agencies which administer the environmental regulations at the state level. California is the only state which has its own regulatory agency, the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The other states are allowed to follow CARB or federal regulations. Federal, state, and local governments utilize a wide range of policy instruments to control pollution from mobile sources. On the federal level, many different agencies are responsible for regulating, or at least creating policies to limit, pollution from mobile sources. This is necessary given the broad range of objects that are considered “mobile sources,” from aircraft and off-road vehicles, to locomotives and on-road vehicles. The Federal Aviation Administration, for example, establishes standards to limit emissions from aircraft, whereas the U.S. Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency administer various aspects of on-road vehicle fuel economy regulations. On the state level, mandatory vehicle emissions-testing programs are often required as part of the annual motor-vehicle registration process. Many governments throughout the world require manufacturers of particular products to attach information-related labels to their products. Common examples in the United States include food nutrition and ingredient labels for food products, Surgeon General labels on alcohol and tobacco products, and labels for common household pesticides. Like mobile sources of air pollution, there is a broad range of products that may require government labeling regulation, therefore numerous federal agencies oversee various label-related regulation programs. For example, the US Food and Drug Administration oversees food nutrition and ingredient label regulations, whereas the US Environmental Protection Agency sets specific standards for the labeling of pesticides. The primary goal of labeling regulations is to provide consumers and other product users with important information about the product. Essentially, labeling policies are designed to correct the market failure of imperfect information. For consumers to make the best decisions when allocating scarce resources, such as income, detailed information about particular products may be required. In this sense, labels also help correct information asymmetries that often exist within many market transactions. In the United States, all new cars and light-duty trucks are required to have labels that display specific fuel economy information. The US Environmental Protection Agency calculates the average fuel economy for each vehicle manufacturer, and provides the data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which administers and enforces the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program. The purpose of the program is (1) to reduce emissions by requiring vehicle manufacturers to meet minimum fuel economy levels, and (2) to provide consumers with fuel economy information before purchasing new vehicles. EPA and NHTSA are redesigning the labels to provide even more information to consumers. The new labels will, for the first time, provide information about each vehicle's greenhouse gas emissions, as required by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The agencies are proposing two different label designs and are seeking public comments about which labels will be most helpful to consumers. Consumers can submit comments about the two proposed label styles on EPA's website here and here.