The
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(EPA)
announced
the
toughest
US
standards
yet
for
greenhouse
gas
emissions
from
heavy-duty
vehicles
like
big
rigs
and
buses.
The
rules
apply
to
model
year
2027
to
2032
heavy-duty
vehicles
and
are
meant
to
slash
emissions
from
a
major
source
of
the
pollution
causing
climate
change.
Heavy-duty
vehicles
are
responsible
for
a
quarter
of
the
nation’s
transportation-related
greenhouse
gas
emissions.
The
EPA
says
its
new
standards
will
avoid
a
billion
tons
of
those
emissions
by
2055,
which
would
be
like
eliminating
the
pollution
from
13
million
tanker
trucks’
worth
of
gasoline.
“On
behalf
of
everyone
who
breathes,
thank
you.”
Transportation
makes
up
the
biggest
chunk
of
the
country’s
carbon
footprint
and
has
been
the
target
of
a
series
of
new
regulations
aimed
at
meeting
climate
goals
set
under
the
Biden
administration
and
the
Paris
climate
accord.
And
since
trucks
also
produce
soot
and
smog-forming
pollutants,
the
latest
rules
are
also
expected
to
improve
air
quality
for
72
million
Americans
living
within
200
meters
of
a
truck
freight
route.
“On
behalf
of
everyone
who
breathes,
thank
you,” Paul
Billings,
national
senior
vice
president
of
public
policy
at
the
American
Lung
Association,
said
during
a
press
call
with
EPA
Administrator
Michael
Regan.
“Thank
you,
Mr.
Administrator,
for
responding
to
the
comments
from
health
experts
and
community
voices
and
recognizing
the
innovation
that
is
occurring
every
day
in
the
heavy-duty
vehicle
sector.”
The
proposed
rule
got
more
than
175,000
comments
before
being
finalized
today,
including
pushback
from
industry.
The
Owner-Operator
Independent
Drivers
Association
wrote
in
its
comments
last
year
that
the
tougher
greenhouse
gas
standards
(on
top
of
another
recent
rule
that
tightened
limits
for
smog-forming
pollution)
could
inadvertently
lead
drivers
to
hang
on
to
older,
more
polluting
trucks
longer
to
avoid
higher
costs
for
zero
emissions
vehicles.
The
group
also
said
the
rule
could
“rush
production
of
battery
electric
vehicles”
before
adequate
charging
infrastructure
is
in
place.
The
Biden
administration
says
its
rules
are
“technology-neutral,”
allowing
businesses
to
choose
between
hybrid,
electric,
and
fuel
cell
vehicles
or “advanced”
internal
combustion
engine
vehicles.
It
also
estimates
that
the
fuel
and
maintenance
cost
savings
would
reach
between
$3,700
and
$10,500
annually
for
a
heavy-duty
truck
purchased
in
2032.
Earlier
this
month,
the
EPA
set
out
new
standards
for
pollution
from
light
and
medium-duty
vehicles
expected
to
accelerate
the
adoption
of
electric
vehicles.
While
those
rules
are
supposed
to
cut
greenhouse
gas
emissions
by
up
to
50
percent
by
2032,
they’re
more
lax
than
what
the
Biden
administration
initially
proposed
before
facing
opposition
from
car
companies
and
labor
unions.
Original author: Justine Calma
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