EPA To Impose ‘Strongest-Ever” National Clean Air Standards
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued sweeping new final emissions standards on Tuesday for heavy-duty trucks starting in Model Year 2027.
The EPA issued a Final Rule on heavy-duty truck emissions standards on Tuesday, December 20th. The agency says that new emissions rules are the “strongest-ever national clean air standards” and “…are more than 80% stronger than current standards.”
This marks the first update to federal heavy duty truck emissions standards since 2001 by the EPA. The rule will go into effect 60 days after its published in the Federal Register. The EPA will require that truck manufacturers comply with nitrous oxide emissions standards that are over 80% below the current level, starting no later than Model Year of 2027.
EPA’s Response
From an EPA news release:
“Relative to current rules, the new standards are more than 80% stronger, increase useful life of governed vehicles by 1.5–2.5 times, and will yield emissions warranties that are 2.8–4.5 times longer. This final rule includes provisions for longer useful life and warranty periods. These provisions guarantee that as target vehicles age, they will continue to meet EPA’s more stringent emissions standards for a longer period of time. The rule also requires manufacturers to better ensure that vehicle engines and emission control systems work properly on the road. For example, manufacturers must demonstrate that engines are designed to prevent vehicle drivers from tampering with emission controls by limiting tamper-prone access to electronic pollution controls.“
Clean Trucks Plan
Tuesday’s emission rule is the first step in the EPA’s three part Clean Trucks Plan. The EPA plans to release the next two Clean Trucks Plan steps “in the coming months.”
“EPA is taking significant action to protect public health, especially the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America, including our most vulnerable populations in historically overburdened communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “But we’re not stopping there. This is just the first action under EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan to pave the way toward a zero-emission future. These rigorous standards, coupled with historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will accelerate President Biden’s ambitious agenda to overhaul the nation’s trucking fleet, deliver cleaner air, and protect people and the planet.”
Standards Too Expensive For Small Companies
There are concerns from trucking trade groups like the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), who say that smaller trucking companies will struggle to afford compliant commercial vehicles.
“If small business truckers can’t afford the new, compliant trucks, they’re going to stay with older, less efficient trucks, or leave the industry entirely. Once again, EPA has largely ignored the warnings and concerns raised by truckers in this latest rule,” said OOIDA President and CEO Todd Spencer.
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