Washington (March 31, 2023)—The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it would grant waivers under the Clean Air Act allowing California and other states to implement requirements for the sale of zero-emission heavy duty trucks. These waivers are necessary for states to create and enforce their own emissions rules. It’s a vital step to building a cleaner transportation system, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
Below is a statement by Dave Cooke, senior vehicles analyst for the Clean Transportation Program at UCS.
“The facts are clear. Heavy duty trucks produce pollution that harms human health and endangers the climate. These emissions are disproportionately impacting marginalized communities that are more likely to be exposed to major highways and trucking routes. There are states ready to act now to set and implement strong standards that will cut these dangerous emissions.
“We know the damage that pollution from the freight sector is causing, and we know that the trucking industry can put new technologies in place that will reduce that pollution. But we need strong rules to get us there. Now that EPA has issued the waivers, California and the six other states that adopted California’s Advanced Clean Truck rule can start implementing it. ACT and other truck rules will help reduce the truck pollution that is harming so many communities. State leadership on heavy duty truck rules will ensure that the freight industry reins in its pollution and accelerates the transition to a zero-emission future. We need EPA to approve the remaining waiver for cleaner trucks as quickly as possible.”