On Wednesday, U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) joined leaders from the heavy-duty vehicle industry to urge the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize emission rules.
The Senators, along with Matt LeDucq, CEO of Forum Mobility; Nikolas Runge, CTO of InCharge; Nate Baguio, senior vice president of commercial development of Lion Electric; Sam Vercellotti, senior policy manager of TeraWatt Infrastructure; and Ben Drake, vice president of government affairs at Workhorse, call on the EPA to finalized the strongest Phase 3 heavy-duty vehicles emissions rule possible by early 2024.
“A 100 percent zero-emission heavy-duty vehicle future is not only feasible, but essential. California has successfully brought truck and engine manufacturers to the table because they know zero-emission infrastructure is good for our communities and good for business,” Padilla said. “As the EPA finalizes their Phase 3 rule, I urge them to seize this chance to transform our transportation sector and safeguard clean air for all, including for the Black and Brown communities who are disproportionately impacted by air pollution from trucks. The health of our planet and our people depends on it.”
Despite being only 10 percent of all vehicles on the road, heavy-duty vehicles produce more than a quarter of the transportation sectors greenhouse gas emissions, officials said, as well as almost half the sector’s nitrogen oxide emissions and more than half of all the particulate matter emissions. The group said that the strong Phase 3 rule is crucial for the United States to make progress toward the Global MOU on Zero-Emission Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicles signed last year by the United States at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27). The group’s requests come as government officials head to this year’s COP28.
“The transportation sector is the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S. Tailpipe pollution threatens public health and impedes our efforts to lead the planet to climate safety,” Whitehouse said. “I urge the EPA to swiftly implement the strongest possible greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles. Doing so is good for the environment and will help make good on our global commitment to shift to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles in the next decade.”