Biden admin cracks down on gas-powered trucks and tractors despite electric vehicle infrastructure fears
WASHINGTON — The White House finalized new emissions standards intended to sharply reduce pollution caused by new trucks and tractors Friday — with a leading industry group warning of “the most challenging, costly and potentially disruptive heavy-duty emissions rule in history.”
The Environmental Protection Agency said in its announcement that it had modified the timeline of the new mandate due to concerns about a lack of electric vehicle charging stations along the nation’s highways.
“EPA’s final rule provides more time in the early model years of the program for the development of vehicle technologies and deployment of charging and refueling infrastructure,” the agency said in its release.
The new rules delay the onset of new emissions standards for the heaviest commercial vehicles, while ordering new lighter work vehicles to begin slashing emissions by model year 2027.
The heaviest-duty trucks and tractors would have to meet the tighter standards by model years 2029 and 2030, respectively.
The regulations would begin to apply to lighter trucks by model year 2027, with a 17% tightening of carbon dioxide emissions standards for light work trucks taking effect then, along with a 13% cut for medium-size commercial trucks.
By model year 2032, work trucks and tractors would have to reduce CO2 emissions by between 25% and 60%, depending on weight category.
Both types of vehicles, which generally use diesel fuel, create carbon dioxide when carbon from petroleum combines with oxygen during combustion. Increased levels of CO2 in the atmosphere are believed by scientists to contribute to global warming and climate change.
Federal fuel regulations for consumer vehicles are already an election-year issue, with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arguing that the Biden administration has moved too quickly and that electric vehicles, many of which are produced in China, are not sufficiently reliable for long-distance travel.
If Trump retakes the White House in November, he’s expected to roll back the Biden-era regulations.
The latest rule “will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to public health, the climate, and savings for truck owners and operators,” the EPA said in a press release.
Administrator Michael Regan added, “Building on our recently finalized rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles, EPA’s strong and durable vehicle standards respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by making deep cuts in emissions from the transportation sector.”
The new rules were proposed last year and were met with industry concern about the feasibility of commercial trucks recharging on highways.
The Truck and Engine Manufactures Association trade group’s president Jed Mandel said Friday that “[w]e are concerned that the final rule will end up being the most challenging, costly and potentially disruptive heavy-duty emissions rule in history.”
“EMA’s member companies are at the forefront of reducing [greenhouse gas] emissions and have invested billions of dollars to develop and bring to market heavy-duty [zero-emission vehicles]. Manufacturers have many heavy-duty ZEV models for sale today, with more coming available,” Mandel said.
“Trucking fleets are sophisticated purchasers who demand a financial return on the capital they invest in new vehicles. They simply will not buy ZEVs in sufficient volume unless the total cost of ownership is competitive with traditional vehicles and, critically, adequate infrastructures are available to power them.”
Mandel added, “Unfortunately, ZEVs currently cost significantly more than ultra-clean diesel trucks and the complicated battery-charging and hydrogen-fueling infrastructures needed for heavy-duty ZEVs are only in the earliest stages of planning.”
The industry rep added that the regulations may have unintended consequences.
“If fleets don’t buy enough ZEVs … manufacturers will be forced to sell fewer ultra-clean diesel trucks to remain in compliance,” he said. “That would lead to older, higher-polluting trucks staying on the road longer — causing negative economic consequences, job losses and harmful environmental impacts.”
The $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill signed by Biden in November 2021 contained $7.5 billion for electric vehicle charging stations.
Federal guidelines say that states receiving the funds must initially build out so-called Alternative Fuel Corridors along major roadways, such as interstate highways.
Along those specified corridors, electric vehicle stations will be required every 50 miles, while local governments must provide 20% of funds for such projects.
