Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy Calculation rule (2024)

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The Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy Calculation is a significant rule issued by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy (DOE), effective June 12, 2024, that revises regulations for calculating petroleum-equivalency factor for electric vehicles.[1]
Timeline
The following timeline details key rulemaking activity:
- June 12, 2024: The final rule became effective.[1]
- March 29, 2024: The Department of Energy (DOE) published the final rule.[1]
- July 31, 2023: The comment period ended.[1]
- April 11, 2023: The DOE published the proposed rule and opened the comment period.[1]
Background
The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, grants the Department of Energy DOE the authority to establish and enforce energy efficiency standards for various consumer products and industrial equipment, as well as to set fuel economy standards for automobiles. Additionally, it authorizes the DOE to conduct research and development initiatives aimed at promoting energy conservation and reducing dependence on foreign oil.[1]
Summary of the rule
The following is a summary of the rule from the rule's entry in the Federal Register:[1]
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) publishes a final rule that revises the value for the petroleum-equivalency factor (PEF). This final rule revises DOE's regulations regarding procedures for calculating a value for the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy of electric vehicles (EVs). The PEF is used by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in calculating light-duty vehicle manufacturers' compliance with the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards.[2] |
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Summary of provisions
The following is a summary of the provisions from the rule's entry in the Federal Register:[1]
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After considering comments, DOE is modifying the methodology as initially proposed in the 2023 NOPR in the following ways: Updating the grid mix projection from the 2021 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) “95 by 2050” Scenario to the more current electricity generation forecast in the 2022 NREL “Standard Scenario Mid-Case,” which accounts for the latest technology and policies. Changing the method of calculating the PEF value from using an average of annual PEF values between MY 2027 to MY 2031 to calculating a PEF value based on the survivability-weighted lifetime mileage schedule of the fleet of vehicles sold during the regulatory period. Phasing-out the use of the fuel content factor between MY 2027 and MY 2030 rather than removing it from the PEF equation as of the effective date of the rule, as proposed in the 2023 NOPR.[2] |
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Significant impact
- See also: Significant regulatory action
Executive Order 12866, issued by President Bill Clinton (D) in 1993, directed the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to determine which agency rules qualify as significant rules and thus are subject to OMB review.
Significant rules have had or might have a large impact on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. These actions may also conflict with other rules or presidential priorities. Executive Order 12866 further defined an economically significant rule as a significant rule with an associated economic impact of $100 million or more. Executive Order 14094, issued by President Joe Biden (D) on April 6, 2023, made changes to Executive Order 12866, including referring to economically significant rules as section 3(f)(1) significant rules and raising the monetary threshold for economic significance to $200 million or more.[1]
The text of the Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy Calculation rule states that OMB deemed this rule significant, but not economically significant:
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Section 6(a) of E.O. 12866 also requires agencies to submit “significant regulatory actions” to the OIRA for review. OIRA has determined that this action constitutes a significant regulatory action within the scope of section 3(f) of E.O. 12866.[2] |
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Text of the rule
The full text of the rule is available below:[1]
See also
External links
Footnotes