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US COVID-19 mitigation efforts resulting in significant decline in traffic, emissions and fuel-tax revenues

Green Car Congress

The authors used the VMT data to calculate that emissions of US greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were reduced by 4% in total and by 13% from transportation in the almost 8 weeks since many stay-at-home orders went into effect. This puts the US on track to meet its annual goals for GHG reduction under the Paris Climate Accord.

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President Biden calls on Congress, States for fuel tax holiday; increase in refinery capacity

Green Car Congress

President Biden called on Congress to suspend the federal gas tax for the next 90 days, through the busy summer driving season—18 cents per gallon for gasoline and 24 cents per gallon for diesel. He also called on states to suspend their state gas taxes as well or to find other ways to deliver some relief.

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OECD: governments should make better use of energy taxation to address climate change; “meaningful” increases limited to road sector

Green Car Congress

Greater reliance on energy taxation is needed to strengthen efforts to tackle the principal source of both greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, according to a new OECD report. Taxes are effective at cutting harmful emissions from energy use, but governments could make better use of them. of emissions.

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MIT study finds fuel economy standards are 6-14 times less cost effective than fuel tax for reducing gasoline use

Green Car Congress

In a study published in the journal Energy Economics , MIT researchers have found that a fuel economy standard is at least six to fourteen times less cost effective than a fuel tax when targeting an identical reduction in cumulative gasoline use (20% by 2050). Paltsev, M. Babiker, J.M. 2012.09.001.

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Obama climate plan calls for new fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles post-2018; cleaner fuels and investment in advanced fossil energy

Green Car Congress

Among the transportation-related elements of US President Barack Obama’s new climate action plan, which he is outlining today in a speech at Georgetown University, is the development of new fuel economy standards for heavy-duty vehicles post-2018. Preparing the US for the impacts of climate change. Earlier post.).

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Australia PM Gillard announces carbon pricing plan; transport fuels exempt, but lowered fuel tax credits to bring carbon price to some businesses

Green Car Congress

Under the scheme, around 500 of the largest emitters in Australia—facilities that have direct greenhouse gas emissions of 25,000 tonnes of CO 2 -equivalent per year or more (excluding emissions from transport fuels and some synthetic greenhouse gases)—will need to buy and surrender to the Government a permit for every tonne they produce.

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Study finds higher gasoline taxes do not disproportionately impact the poor, especially in developing countries

Green Car Congress

Although increased gasoline taxation has been proposed as a very effective instrument to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a common argument against such a measure is that it is regressive—i.e., Sterner is lead author in the UN climate panel’s (IPCC) working group Mitigation of Climate Change. —Thomas Sterner.

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