A bill introduced in the House and Senate yesterday would create an incentive for people dissatisfied with their gas guzzlers to replace them with fuel-efficient vehicles.
The Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Retirement Act of 2009 (ARIVA), sponsored by Senators Feinstein, Collins, and Schumer
and Representatives Inslee and Israel, among others, offers vouchers of
up to $5,500 for consumers to retire vehicles rated at under 18 miles
per gallon for fuel economy purposes (roughly 14-15 miles per gallon in
on-road driving).
Under the proposed bill, the vehicle must be scrapped, and the voucher then
may be applied to the purchase of a new or used vehicle that exceeds
federal fuel economy standards by at least 25%. Alternatively, the
voucher may be applied toward the purchase of transit passes at
participating local transit agencies.
Providing an incentive to retire inefficient vehicles gives their
owners an opportunity to reduce their fuel costs by trading up the
efficiency scale while boosting the market for highly efficient
vehicles.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy applauded the program, stating in a release that it could add to the environmental benefits of a nationwide
stimulus package while contributing to the recovery of the auto
industry and its transition toward more viable product lines.
ACEEE Transportation Program Director Therese Langer said: “Unlike
tailpipe pollution rates, which have been declining steadily, vehicle
fuel economy has been stagnant for decades. This program correctly
targets highly inefficient vehicles of any vintage.”
While participation in the voluntary program is hard to predict given its innovative nature, ACEEE’s preliminary estimates are that 575,000 vehicles would be retired annually, and that fuel savings would reach 46,000 barrels per day by 2013.
An ACEEE white paper on accelerated vehicle retirement is available at the link below.
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