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The Obama administration may soon begin crafting new rules that will govern fleetwide fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions for 2017 and beyond, U.S. EPA chief Lisa Jackson said Wednesday.


Jackson (right), as reported by the subscription service Environment & Energy Daily, said her agency has not yet sat down with automakers and other stakeholders to begin discussing the next set of rules but that she hopes to begin the process in the near future.


By law, the 2017 standards would not have to be finalized until April 2015.


Jackson's comments came in response to questions from Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the former Energy and Commerce Committee chairman and longtime advocate for his home state's auto industry.


Automakers have lobbied the government to give them as much lead time as possible for the new rules so they can plan their fleet offerings accordingly.


"I think we need to do it soon," Jackson said.


The administration can only set standards for a maximum of five model years at a time and must finalize each standard at least 18 months before the cars subject to the requirements reach dealer showrooms.


"I think it would be a stretch to say we're in negotiations at this time, but there have been expressions of interest from automakers to begin that," Jackson said.
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Tags: Emissions, Fuel Economy, Legislation, 2017, CAFE Standards, Emissions, EPA Chief Lisa Jackson, Fuel Economy, Greenhouse Gas, Legislation, Mileage, Obama

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EPA Chief Says Work Must Start Soon on CAFE Standards for 2017 and Beyond was originally published by Green Car Advisor. Read the full story by clicking here.