National Emissions Standards Act - Cars, Trucks, Buses, and Non-road Equipment

Cars, Trucks, Buses, and Non-road Equipment

Motor vehicles contribute a great deal to air pollution, so to reduce the amount of emissions released, the EPA placed restrictions on fuel and engine production. As a result, manufacturers are required to build cleaner engines and refiners are required to produce cleaner fuels. Gasoline used to include lead, which can cause damage to bodily functions and organs and sulfur was lowered over 90 percent in fuels because it doesn't allow a vehicle's catalytic converter to effectively clean up the exhaust. Unlike most small cars, the majority of trucks, buses, and "non-road" equipment use diesel engines because they are more fuel efficient. However, they are also more harmful to the environment. In order to cut the emissions, the EPA issued rules to combine strict emissions standards for diesel engines and to lower sulfur diesel fuel.

Alternative fuels such as natural gas, propane, methanol, ethanol, electricity, and biodiesel, are a major area of interest for the Clean Air Act. It is also important to find renewable fuels that can come from resources such as wood, waste paper, grasses, vegetable oils, and corn.