Washington – Today, the American Trucking Associations sent a letter to Republican leaders in the House and Senate, calling on them to take the regulatory keys away from California and prevent the Golden State from setting de facto national emissions policies in the future.
Specifically, in his letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, ATA President & CEO Chris Spear urged Congress to:
- Use the Congressional Review Act to immediately revoke the Advanced Clean Trucks and Omnibus NOx waivers granted to California by the Biden Administration and adopted by 10 other states.
- Amend the Clean Air Act to revoke the statute’s waiver authority, preserving federal purview over interstate commerce.
“As the primary mover of more than three quarters of the nation’s freight, the trucking industry requires uniform, national rules and standards to facilitate interstate commerce and deliver for American businesses and families safely and efficiently,” Spear wrote. “When the Biden Administration granted waivers to California under the Clean Air Act, establishing technically unachievable emission standards along unrealistic timelines, it created a cascade of consequences that are now reverberating across the country, setting the trucking industry up for failure, and threatening to upend the supply chain for consumers.”
With purchase cycles already underway, fleets face difficult decisions that will impact their operations and costs for years to come. Beginning with the 2024 model year, ACT mandates that manufacturers progressively increase zero-emission vehicle sales.
“As you look at various legislative vehicles to expedite a range of policy priorities this year, we ask that you consider any and all legislative means to address this issue, which affects every consumer and business across the country,” Spear continued.
Trucks today produce 99% fewer nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions than those on the road decades ago, and new trucks cut carbon emissions by over 40 percent compared to a truck manufactured in 2010. As a result, 60 of today’s trucks emit what just one truck did in 1988.
This progress was made possible through a collaborative relationship between the Environmental Protection Agency and the trucking industry. By repealing California’s waivers, EPA will be empowered to develop realistic, technology-neutral federal emissions standards that will benefit our environment, preserve and create jobs, and set the trucking industry and supply chain up for success
Click here to read Spear’s letter to congressional leaders.