The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed stronger greenhouse gas emission standards for heavy-duty vehicles and engines to promote clean air and reduce pollution.
The standards would start with model year 2027.
The proposed standard would reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides from heavy-duty vehicles and engines by as much as 60 percent in 2045.
EPA estimates that by 2045 the proposed standard would result in up to 2,100 fewer premature deaths, 6,700 fewer hospital admissions, and emergency department visits, 18,000 fewer cases of asthma onset in children, 78,000 fewer lost days of work, 1.1 million fewer lost school days for children, and 3.1 million fewer cases of asthma symptoms and allergic rhinitis symptoms.
“Seventy-two million people are estimated to live near truck freight routes in America, and they are more likely to be people of color and those with lower incomes,” Michael S. Regan, EPA Administrator, said. “These overburdened communities are directly exposed to pollution that causes respiratory and cardiovascular problems, among other serious and costly health effects. These new standards will drastically cut dangerous pollution by harnessing recent advancements in vehicle technologies from across the trucking industry as it advances toward a zero-emissions transportation future.”