Today's action finalizes a major program designed to significantly reduce the emissions from new passenger cars and light trucks, including pickup trucks, vans, minivans, and sport-utility vehicles. These reductions will provide for cleaner air and greater public health protection, primarily by reducing ozone and PM pollution. The program is a comprehensive regulatory initiative that treats vehicles and fuels as a system, combining requirements for much cleaner vehicles with requirements for much lower levels of sulfur in gasoline. A list of major highlights of the program appears at the beginning of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this Federal Register. The program we are finalizing today will phase in a single set of tailpipe emission standards that will, for the first time, apply to all passenger cars, light trucks, and larger passenger vehicles operated on any fuel. This set of "Tier 2 standards" is feasible and the use of a single set of standards is appropriate because of the increased use of light trucks for personal transportation. The miles traveled in light trucks is increasing and the emissions from these vehicles are thus an increasing problem. This approach builds on the recent technology improvements resulting from the successful National Low-Emission Vehicles (NLEV) program. To enable the very clean Tier 2 vehicle emission control technology to be introduced and to maintain its effectiveness, we are also requiring reduced gasoline sulfur levels nationwide. The reduction in sulfur levels will also contribute directly to cleaner air in addition to its beneficial effects on vehicle emission control systems. Refiners will generally install additional refining equipment to remove sulfur in their refining processes. Importers of gasoline will be required to import and market only gasoline meeting the sulfur standards. Today's action also introduces an averaging, banking, and trading program to provide flexibility for refiners and ease implementatio