  
  
G/TBT/N/USA/1760  
11 August 2021  
(21-6168) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AMERICA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [1789]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated i f different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards; Environmental protection (ICS 13.020), Air 
quality (ICS 13.040), Road vehicle systems (ICS 43 .040)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Revised 2023 
and Later Model Year Light -Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards (86 
page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Proposed rule - The Environmental Protec tion Agency (EPA) is 
proposing to  revise the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for light -duty vehicles 
for 2023 and later model years to make the standards more stringent. On 20 January 
2021, President Biden issued Executive Order 13990 "Protecting Public Health and the 
Environment and Restoring Science To Tackle the Climate Crisis" directing EPA to consider 
whether to propose suspending, revising, or rescinding the standards previously revised 
under the "The Safer Affordable Fuel -Efficient (SAFE) Ve hicles Rule for Model Years 2021 -
2026 Passenger Cars and Light Trucks," promulgated in April 2020. The SAFE rule 
significantly weakened the standards established in 2012, which in part set GHG 
standards for model years 2021 -25. EPA believes that in light o f the significant 
contribution of light -duty vehicles to transportation sector GHG emissions, standards 
more stringent than those relaxed in the SAFE rule are appropriate under the Clean Air 
Act. EPA is proposing to revise the GHG standards to be more stri ngent than the SAFE 
rule standards in each model year from 2023 through 2026. EPA is also proposing to 
include several flexibilities to incentivize the production and sale of vehicles with zero and 
near-zero emissions technology to reduce compliance costs and to address the lead time 
of the proposed standards. In addition, EPA is proposing some technical amendments to 
clarify and streamline our regulations. Compliance with the proposed standards would be 
feasible at reasonable costs to manufacturers. The pr oposed revised standards would 
result in significant benefits for public health and welfare, primarily through substantial 
reductions in both GHG emissions and fuel consumption and associated fuel costs paid by 
drivers, and the benefits of the proposed sta ndards would be far in excess of costs.  G/TBT/N/USA/1760  
 
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  7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of human health or safety; Protection of the environment; Cost 
saving and productivity enhancement  
8. Relevant documents:   
86 Federal Register (FR) 43726, 10 August  2021; Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Parts 86 and 600:   
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2021-08-10/html/2021 -16582.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2021-08-10/pdf/2021 -16582.pdf  
This notice of proposed rulemaking is identified by Docket Number EPA -HQ-OAR-2021-
0208.   The Docket Folder is available on Regulations.gov at 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket/EPA -HQ-OAR-2021-0208/document  and provides 
access to primary documents as well as comments received. Documents are also 
accessible from Regula tions.gov  by searching the Docket Number. WTO Members and 
their stakeholders are asked to submit comments to the USA TBT Enquiry Point . 
Comments received by the USA TBT Enquiry Point from WTO Members and their 
stakeholders will be shared with the regulator and will also be submitted to the Docket on 
Regulatio ns.gov if received within the comment period.  
Public Hearing for Revised 2023 and Later Model Year Light -Duty Vehicle Greenhouse 
Gas Emissions Standards; Notification of public hearing published 9 August 2021:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2021-08-09/html/2021 -
16598.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2021-08-09/pdf/2021 -16598.pdf   
Executive Ord er 14037 of 5 August 2021 - Strengthening American Leadership in Clean 
Cars and Trucks  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2021-08-10/html/2021 -17121.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2021-08-10/pdf/2021 -17121.pdf   
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be d etermined  
10. Final date for comments:  27 September 2021  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2021/TBT/USA/21_5147_00_e.pdf  
 