G/TBT/N/USA/1621  
14 May 2020  
(20-3601) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original:  English  
 
  NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member:  UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible:  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) [1648]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers , email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated i f different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point, Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other :  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Vehicle 
tailpipe emission testing procedures; Spark -ignition reciprocating or rotary internal 
combustion piston en gines (HS 8407); Compression -ignition internal combustion piston 
engines (diesel or semi -diesel engines) (HS 8408); Motor vehicles for the transport of ten 
or more persons, including the driver (HS 8702); Motor cars and other motor vehicles 
principally des igned for the transport of persons (other than those of heading 87.02), 
including station wagons and racing cars (HS 8703); Motor vehicles for the transport of 
goods (HS 8704); Special purpose motor vehicles, other than those principally designed for 
the transport of persons or goods (for example, breakdown lorries (wreckers), crane lorries 
(mobile cranes), fire fighting vehicles, concrete mixer lorries (concrete -mixers), road 
sweeper lorries (road sweepers), spraying lorries (spraying vehicles), mobile wor kshops, 
mobile radiological units) (HS 8705); Quality (ICS 03.120), Air quality (ICS 13.040), Test 
conditions and procedures in general (ICS 19.020), Road vehicle systems (ICS 43.040), 
Internal combustion engines for road vehicles (ICS 43.060)  
5. Title, n umber of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Vehicle Test 
Procedure Adjustments for Tier 3 Certification Test Fuel (23 page(s), in English)  
6. Description of content:  Notice of proposed rulemaking - The Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) is  proposing to make adjustments to certain laboratory tailpipe emission 
testing procedures for automobiles, light trucks, and heavy -duty pickup trucks and vans as 
the result of a test fuel change that was finalized as a part of EPA's 2014 Tier 3 vehicle 
emissions rule. In that rule, EPA changed its laboratory test fuel to be more similar to 
typical gasoline currently in use. In the Tier 3 Final Rulemaking, EPA required vehicle 
manufacturers to perform greenhouse gas (GHG) and CAFE fuel economy testing on the  
new Tier 3 test fuel, beginning for model year 2020 and later vehicles. Changes to the fuel 
used for emissions testing can result in a change in emission results on the tests. When we 
adopted the Tier 3 test fuel, we indicated that we intended to undertak e rulemaking to re -
align test results from GHG and CAFE fuel economy testing on the new Tier 3 test fuel so 
they are consistent with test results from testing on the original Tier 2 test fuel, in order to 
avoid an effective change in the stringency of the GHG and CAFE standards. Specifically, 
EPA is now proposing adjustment factors to apply to both vehicle GHG and fuel economy 
test results for the GHG and CAFE programs and the Fuel Economy and Environment Label. G/TBT/N/USA/1621  
 
- 2 - 
 
  In addition, we propose that the shift to req uired use of the new fuel for all vehicle testing 
be phased in through Model Year 2024, but required in Model Year 2025. Because the 
purpose of the rule is simply to realign testing results in response to the test fuel change, 
there would be no significant  costs associated with the proposed action.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable:  Protection of the environment; Quality requirements; Harmonization; Cost 
saving and productivity enhancement  
8. Relevant documents:   
• 85 Federal Register (FR) 28564, 13 May 2020; Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Parts 86 and 600:  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-05-13/html/2020 -07202.htm  
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR -2020-05-13/pdf/2020 -07202.pdf  
• G/TBT/N/USA/811 and subsequent addenda and corrigendum  
The docket folder on Regulations.gov provides access to primary and supporting 
documents for this rulemaking: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=EPA -HQ-OAR-
2016-0604. 
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  To be determined  
10. Final date for comments:  11 August 2020  
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available , of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2020/TBT/USA/20_3206_00_e.pdf