Obama’s Fuel Economy Drive For Trucks Aims To Curb Fast-Growing Climate Change Problem
Posted by Marianne Lavelle
Feb 18, 2014 4:30 PM ET
Campaign:
The Great Energy Challenge Energy Blog
The Great Energy Challenge Energy Blog
In his call Tuesday for boosting the fuel economy of heavy-duty trucks, President Barack Obama is taking aim at one of the world’s fastest growing engines of oil demand and greenhouse gas emissions.
But one of the most popular ideas for reducing oil demand in trucking—switching to natural gas—may not help on climate change. A major new analysis published just last week indicates that the leakage of the potent greenhouse gas methane, the main component of natural gas, is likely great enough to outweigh the benefits of natural gas vehicles. (See related, “Methane Emissions Far Worse than U.S. Estimates.”)