Intent To Form a Policy Dialog Advisory Committee to Assist in the Development of Measures To Significantly Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Personal Motor Vehicles

SUMMARY: To address the danger of global climate change from emissions

of greenhouse gases, on April 21, 1993, President Clinton announced the

nation's commitment to reduce emissions of these gases in the United

States to their 1990 level by the year 2000 and to produce a cost-

effective plan to continue the trend of reduced emissions thereafter.

On October 19, 1993, the President released the Climate Change Action

Plan (CCAP), which commits the federal government, in partnership with

the private sector, to a broad range of measures in many sectors to

meet the target for the year 2000. Studies of greenhouse gas emission

trends leading up to the CCAP confirmed that, particularly in the years

after 2000, the personal transportation sector is expected to be the

fastest growing contributor to carbon dioxide emission levels, as a

result of continuing fast growth of vehicle miles travelled and

relatively slow improvement in vehicle fuel economy. Although the CCAP

contains several measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the

transportation sector, there is a need for significant cost-effective

longer-term efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles

and light duty trucks.

The CCAP directed three policy offices in the Executive Office of

the President--the Office of Environmental Policy (OEP), the Office of

Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Economic Council

(NEC)--to co-chair a process to develop policies to significantly

reduce greenhouse gas emissions from personal motor vehicles in the

years after 2000. The three offices, in consultation with the

Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Energy (DOE),

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) and Council of Economic Advisors (CEA), have established a

process under which a Policy Dialog Advisory Committee, constituted

pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act, will be convened. The

Advisory Committee will develop recommendations on the sets of policies

that would, if adopted, most cost-effectively obtain a return to 1990

levels of greenhouse gas emissions from personal motor vehicles by the

years 2005, 2015 and 2025, with no upturn thereafter. This framework of

achievement of 1990 emissions levels in three alternative years is

designed to focus the issues and the Committee's recommendations.

Decisions on the amount and timing of reductions in greenhouse gas

emissions from personal motor vehicles, and the policies to attain

them, remain the responsibility of the federal government. However, the

Administration has stated that it is committed to significant

reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from personal motor vehicles.

This notice includes the charter of the Advisory Committee. The

Executive Office of the President requests public comment on whether it

has properly identified interests that are affected by the issues

identified and that should be seated on the Advisory Committee, and

requests suggestions for potential members of the Advisory Committee.

DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS: Comments must be received by May 4, 1994.

ADDRESS FOR COMMENTS: Comments should be submitted in duplicate, if

possible, to EPA Air Docket #A-94-24, room M-1500, 401 M Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information pertaining to the

substantive issues to be dealt with by the Advisory Committee, contact:

Ellen Seidman, Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy,

Washington, DC 20500, phone (202) 456-2802, fax (202) 456-2223; Henry

Kelly, Assistant Director for Technology, Office of Science and

Technology Policy, phone (202) 456-6034, fax (202) 456-6023; Wesley

Warren, Associate Director, Office on Environmental Policy, phone (202)

456-6224, fax (202) 456-2710; or Alan Krupnick, Senior Economist,

Council of Economic Advisors, phone (202) 395-5012, fax (202) 395-6853.

For information pertaining to the establishment of the Advisory

Committee and associated administrative matters contact: Deborah

Dalton, Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street, SW., Washington,

DC 20460, phone (202) 260-5495.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Goal of the Advisory Committee

The goal of the Advisory Committee's deliberations will be to

develop a consensus among major stakeholders on the sets of policies

that would, if adopted, most cost-effectively return greenhouse gas

emissions from cars and light trucks to 1990 levels by the years 2005,

2015, and 2025, with no upturn thereafter. (There will be three

different sets of policies, one for each year.) The Advisory Committee

process is structured this way to generate maximum consideration of

potential policies, their interactions and trade-offs and to increase

the potential to reach consensus. By law, the Advisory Committee's

functions must be purely advisory. Therefore the decisions on the

amount and timing of emissions reductions from personal motor vehicles

and the policies to attain them, ultimately remain the responsibility

of the federal government. However, in the CCAP the Administration

stated its intention to take action--regulatory, legislative or

otherwise--immediately after the process is completed to begin

responding to the problem of increased greenhouse gas emissions from

personal motor vehicles, with or without consensus among the

stakeholders.

The Advisory Committee will consider a broad range of policy

alternatives, including policies affecting: (i) Demand for personal

vehicle travel, (ii) vehicle and fuel technology changes (including

increases in vehicle and fuel system operating efficiency); and (iii)

shifts in consumer choice among vehicle and fuel technology options.

Policies to be considered will focus on those that can be implemented

by the federal government, but such policies will be considered in the

context of what can and should be accomplished at the state, local and

regional levels, and by private parties, both consumers and producers.

Groups of policies designed to achieve 1990 levels of greenhouse gas

emissions in each of the three targeted years will be evaluated on the

basis of costs and projected reductions in metric tons of carbon

equivalents (greenhouse gas emissions). Policy groups will also be

evaluated on the basis of the speed, reliability, sustainability and

efficiency of greenhouse gas reductions; the potential impact of

options on urban air pollution and on safety; the cost of alternative

policies affecting this sector (including their impact on consumers,

jobs, competitiveness and mobility); improvements in energy security;

and the feasibility of adoption and ease of implementation.

Membership; Steering Committee

The Advisory Committee will consist of up to thirty members,

appointed for a term of one year from the date of the Committee's first

meeting. No employee of the federal government will be a member of the

Committee. The Advisory Committee will make recommendations to the

President through a steering committee chaired by representatives of

the OEP, OSTP and NEC, and consisting of representatives of the other

agencies named above. A member or representative of the steering

committee will serve as Executive Director of the Advisory Committee

and at least one member of the steering committee will attend each

meeting of the Advisory Committee and any subcommittees. The

deliberations of the Advisory Committee will be assisted by a

facilitator under contract to EPA, who will serve as Chair of the

Advisory Committee.

Members of the Advisory Committee will be chosen by the President,

upon the recommendation of the steering committee, to achieve balanced

representation of the following stakeholder interests:

State, local and regional governments and agencies,

including those responsible for land use, transportation, energy use

and air quality;

Automobile and light truck manufacturers and related

parties such as suppliers, dealers and the insurance industry;

Labor;

Transportation fuel (including potential alternative fuel)

industry; and

Public interest groups, including environmental, safety,

consumer and low income groups and those representing the driving

public.

This list of interests is illustrative, and is not meant to imply that

each named interest will be represented by any specific number of

Advisory Committee members.

We invite suggestions for members of the Advisory Committee. In

making a suggestion, please indicate the interest or interests proposed

to be represented. Suggestions may be in the form of groups or

individuals, although names of specific individuals are preferred.

Proposed members of the Advisory Committee should be prepared to devote

significant time to the project and to engage in meaningful

consultation and negotiation.

Operation of the Advisory Committee

The Advisory Committee will be expected to meet approximately eight

times over a period of one year. Meetings are expected to be two days

in duration. Although most meetings will be held in Washington, DC, one

to two meetings may be held in other locations to maximize public

participation. Meetings will be open to the public. To maximize the

opportunities for participation by those representing the public, the

federal government may pay travel expenses, including per diem in lieu

of subsistence, of Advisory Committee members representing not-for-

profit entities and state or local governments who would not otherwise

be able to participate. On-line facilities will be used to enhance the

operation of the Advisory Committee, to broaden opportunities for

public participation, and to reduce costs. The Advisory Committee and

steering committee will be able to work with an interagency analytical

support team led by the CEA.

The Advisory Committee will issue an interim report within six

months of the date of its first meeting. This report shall advise the

President, through the steering committee, of the Advisory Committee's

proceedings. The Committee shall submit its final report to the

President, through the steering committee, within on year of the date

of its first meeting, unless this period is extended by the President.

Advisory Committee Charter

Following is the charter that has been adopted for the Advisory

Committee.

Charter--Advisory Committee on Personal Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas

Reductions

1. Committee's Official Designation

Advisory Committee on Personal Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas

Reductions (the ``Advisory Committee'' or ``Committee'').

2. Authority

Presidential Review Directive NEC-1, concerning the implementation

of a process to develop measures to significantly reduce greenhouse gas

emissions from personal motor vehicles.

3. Objectives and Scope of Activities

The Climate Change Action Plan directed the National Economic

Council (NEC), the Office of Environmental Policy (OEP), and the Office

of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to co-chair a process to

develop measures to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from

personal motor vehicles, including cars and light trucks. This process,

called the Personal Motor Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Reduction Project,

will be directed by a steering committee responsible for making

recommendations to the President at the close of the project. The

steering committee will consist of representatives of the NEC, OEP,

OSTP, Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, Environmental

Protection Agency, Office of Management and Budget and Council of

Economic Advisors. A representative of the Office of the Vice President

will participate in meetings of the steering committee. As set forth in

section 4 of this Charter, the Advisory Committee shall provide to the

President, through the steering committee, advice and recommendations

concerning cost-effective groups of policies that would, if adopted,

return total greenhouse gas emissions from use of personal motor

vehicles to their 1990 levels by the years 2005, 2015 and 2025 (and

then stabilize or continue to reduce such emissions).

4. Duties of the Committee

The duties of the Advisory Committee are solely advisory and shall

be as follows:

a. The Advisory Committee shall develop recommendations concerning

the most cost-effective manner in which to return greenhouse gas

emissions from personal motor vehicles to their 1990 levels by the

years 2005, 2015 and 2025 (and then to stabilize or continue to reduce

such emissions). In developing its recommendations, the Advisory

Committee shall consider a wide range of policy alternatives, including

policies affecting: (i) Demand for personal vehicle travel; (ii)

vehicle and fuel technology changes (including increases in vehicle and

fuel system operating efficiency); and (iii) shifts in consumer choice

among vehicle and fuel technology options. Policies to be considered

will focus on those that can be implemented by the federal government,

but such policies will be considered in the context of what can and

should be accomplished at the state, local and regional levels, and by

private parties, both consumers and producers.

b. In developing recommendations, the Committee shall consider the

speed, reliability, sustainability and efficiency of greenhouse gas

reductions; the potential impact of options on urban air pollution and

on safety; the cost of alternative policies affecting this sector

(including their impact on consumers, jobs, mobility and

competitiveness); improvements in energy security; and the feasibility

of adoption and ease of implementation.

c. The Advisory Committee may recommend analyses and studies to be

undertaken by agencies of the federal government to support the

deliberations of the Advisory Committee.

d. The Advisory Committee may carry out such additional functions

as the steering committee may from time to time request.

5. To Whom the Advisory Committee Reports

The Advisory Committee shall report to the President through the

steering committee. At least one member of the steering committee shall

attend every meeting of the Advisory Committee and any subcommittees.

The Advisory Committee shall submit its final report to the

President, through the steering committee, within one year of the date

of the first meeting of the Advisory Committee, unless such period is

extended by the President. The Advisory Committee shall issue an

interim report not more than six months after the date of the first

meeting of the Advisory Committee. The interim report shall advise the

President, through the steering committee, of the Advisory Committee's

proceedings and the likelihood that the Committee will be able to

complete its duties within one year of the date of the first meeting of

the Committee.

6. Duration and Termination Date

The Advisory Committee shall terminate thirty days after submission

of its final report.

7. Agency Responsible for Providing Financial and Administrative

Support to the Advisory Committee

Financial and administrative support shall be provided by the

Department of Transportation, through an Interagency Agreement between

the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection

Agency. Financial support may include payment of travel expenses,

including per diem in lieu of subsistence, of Advisory Committee

members representing not-for-profit entities and state or local

governments who could otherwise not participate in Advisory Committee

meetings, as permitted by law for persons serving intermittently in the

government service (5 U.S.C. sections 5701-5707).

8. Estimated Operating Costs

The total operating costs of the Advisory Committee shall not

exceed $250,000.

9. Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings

The Advisory Committee shall meet at the call of the Chairperson or

the steering committee or otherwise as it deems necessary to complete

its functions.

10. Subcommittee(s)

To facilitate functioning of the Advisory Committee,

subcommittee(s) of members of the Advisory Committee may be formed. The

objectives of such subcommittee(s) shall be to make recommendations to

the Advisory Committee with respect to specific matters related to the

responsibilities of the Advisory Committee. Subcommittee(s) shall meet

as the Advisory Committee deems appropriate.

11. Consultations

The Advisory Committee is authorized to consult with public and

private sector individuals, who need not be members of the Advisory

Committee. If appropriate, such individuals can be consulted in

workgroups. Workgroups have no authority to make decisions on behalf of

the full Advisory Committee, nor can they report directly to the

steering committee.

12. Members

Up to thirty Advisory Committee members shall be appointed by the

President for a term of one year, which may be extended by the

President. Committee members shall not be compensated for service on

the Committee. Membership shall be fairly balanced in terms of points

of view represented.

13. Chairperson and Executive Director

The facilitator serving the Advisory Committee shall serve as

Chairperson. A member or representative of the steering committee shall

serve as Executive Director.

Dated: April 13, 1993.

W. Bowman Cutter,

Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy.

John H. Gibbons,

Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Kathleen A. McGinty,

Director, Office on Environmental Policy.

[FR Doc. 94-9288 Filed 4-13-94; 2:30 pm]

BILLING CODE 4910-62-M