A driver drives a Daimler Freightliner eCascadia all-electric pickup truck during a Meijer delivery in Bath, Michigan, U.S., on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.
Emily Elconin | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday said it gave California the legal authority to require half of heavy truck sales in the state to be all-electric by 2035, an ambitious standard. would go beyond federal requirements.
Biden administration’s approval of California’s Advanced Clean Truck Regulation (ACT) comes after the state last year Forbidden to sell New gasoline-powered cars start in the same year the target is 2035.
These two decisions make California, the most populous state in the country and the center of America’s car culture, a leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which generates most of the world’s emissions. the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The California Air Resources Board sought waivers from the Clean Air Act to set stricter standards for heavy-duty vehicles such as garbage trucks, delivery trucks, and trailers. Approval of the new rule is likely to have a bigger impact beyond California and pave the way for other states to follow suit.
California, which has committed to achieving 100% renewable energy by 2045, has considerable authority over the country’s auto industry. For example, a federal waiver under the Clean Air Act allows state governments to adopt stronger fuel economy standards than the federal government’s standards, which set a precedent for the federal government. the rest of the United States on how to tackle vehicle emissions.
Heavy truck regulations have already been adopted by six other states — New York, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, Massachusetts and Vermont — all of which are awaiting approval from the Biden administration.
A Tesla Semi electric truck is parked outside the Frito-Lay manufacturing facility in Modesto, California, U.S., on Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
Fanjoy Benjamin | Bloomberg | beautiful pictures
“Under the Clean Air Act, California has long had the authority to address pollution from cars and trucks,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan. said in a statement. “Today’s announcement allows the state to take additional steps in reducing their transportation emissions through these new regulatory actions.”
State regulation requires manufacturers to produce zero-emission trucks starting in 2024 — three years ahead of the Biden administration latest regulations — and increase production targets to 2035. The rule aims to get 300,000 zero-emissions trucks on the road by 2035.
This requirement would limit climate pollution by nearly three million tons per year by 2040, according to estimates from the California Air Resources Board. Heavy trucks account for nearly a third of the state’s nitrous oxide and more than a quarter of fine particulate pollution from diesel fuel.
“California has worked hard to pass landmark regulations that clean our air and protect our climate with zero-emissions vehicles, so we’re pleased to see the EPA stand with us. California today and authorize this waiver,” Paul Cort, director of the Earthjustice’s Right to Zero campaign, said in a statement.
However, some of the country’s major truck manufacturers and their lobbying groups have argued that requests to sell a certain percentage of electric heavy-duty trucks are expensive and difficult to enforce.
The Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, an industry group representing truck and bus manufacturers, has said the standards will increase truck costs and delay truck buyers. decided to buy a new car.
