The EPA proposed new standards for engine manufacturers on Monday to reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions from tractor-trailer-size trucks, as well as other delivery trucks, cement mixers, and trash trucks.
The standards, which would go into effect in model year 2027, would require manufacturers to create gasoline and diesel engine models with improved exhaust systems. According to industry officials, this could significantly raise the cost of new vehicles, causing older vehicles to remain on the road for longer periods of time, contradicting the administration's public-health goals.
According to EPA officials, the proposed rules are ambitious but achievable, and would benefit the public by reducing asthma and other health issues.
"These new standards will drastically reduce dangerous pollution by leveraging recent advancements in vehicle technologies from across the trucking industry as it moves toward a zero-emissions transportation future," said EPA Administrator Michael Regan.
At a White House event with Mr. Regan and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris praised the rules. Many communities in the United States have "pollution from heavy-duty trucks and buses that has made the air poisonous to breathe," she said. "This does not have to be the way it is."
She also mentioned that the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed last year included $5.5 billion in funding to reduce and eliminate emissions from buses.
According to EPA officials, the rules will reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions from the country's fleet of heavy-duty trucks by up to 60% by 2045.
In 2001, regulators urged truck and engine manufacturers to reduce nitrogen-oxide gases in vehicle exhaust. These regulations, which were fully phased in for model year 2010 vehicles, compelled engine manufacturers to install devices that reduced emissions of toxic gases produced when fuel is burned.
According to the EPA, following these rules resulted in a nationwide 40% reduction in emissions. Nonetheless, the agency reported in 2019 that over 128 million people lived in counties that did not meet smog-related air-quality standards. According to Mr. Regan, Americans who live along truck-freight routes are more likely to be people of color and have lower-than-average incomes.
The new EPA proposal calls for engines to reduce nitrogen-oxide emissions from 0.20 grams per brake horsepower-hour to 0.02 grams per brake horsepower-hour for heavy-duty vehicles. The standard could be fully implemented in 2027 or phased in by 2031, according to the agency's two options.
The rules would also extend the time period during which manufacturers must certify that the vehicle engine will meet air-pollution standards, as well as the warranty period during which they are responsible for fixing broken emissions-control devices. Officials from the Environmental Protection Agency have previously stated that existing warranty periods are too short given the high annual mileage accumulation for many trucks.
The proposed federal rules are similar to those implemented by California officials last year, which were criticized as being too costly by the US trucking industry.
According to Jay Grimes, director of federal affairs at the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, the cost of new technology to comply with the California rule for existing trucks could range between $5,000 and $7,000 to meet the 2027 standards, depending on vehicle class and engine type. He predicted that these costs would eventually be passed on to consumers.
"In an ideal world, these technologies would become more affordable and reliable, but I'm skeptical that we're there yet," he said on Monday.
According to industry officials, a federal standard that matches California's rules would increase the cost of new trucks by between $8,600 and $21,200 for model year 2027.
The Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association told White House officials in December that the California "standards have never been demonstrated to be technically feasible." "No [manufacturer] has stated that they can produce a conforming product."
Manufacturers have also warned that investing in better emissions-control devices will divert funds away from research into electric and fuel-cell technology, where trucks and buses lag behind the passenger-car and truck markets.
Costly requirements may also exacerbate pollution by delaying the purchase of more expensive, but lower-emitting vehicles.
"We're concerned that the oldest, highest-emitting trucks on the road today are disproportionately operating in the most polluted communities," said Jed Mandel, president of the truck and engine manufacturers' group.
Public-health organizations, along with state and local governments, have lobbied the EPA for even stricter regulations to help improve air quality in both small, economically disadvantaged communities and major metropolitan areas affected by smog.
They claim that vehicle-exhaust regulations haven't paid enough attention to emissions from idling or slow-moving vehicles. The rise of online shopping has also resulted in an increase in home deliveries, as well as warehouses relocating to office parks closer to neighborhoods.
Trucks "create the most pollution when they pass by people's homes, schools, and workplaces," according to Ann Jaworski, a lawyer with the non-profit Environmental Law & Policy Center.
After reviewing public comments on the proposal, regulators expect to finalize the rule later this year.
Separately, EPA officials announced Monday that they are considering tightening greenhouse-gas-emissions standards for certain commercial vehicle categories, such as school buses and commercial delivery trucks.