In short
Because Trump is unlikely to approve them, California has no choice but to abandon its landmark rules for zero-emission trucks and cleaner locomotives.
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California has decided to abandon its landmark rules to phase out diesel trucks and require cleaner locomotives because the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to allow the state to implement them.
State officials have long considered the regulations needed to clean up California’s deadly air pollution and fight climate change.
The Biden administration recently withdrew the approval of the California Air Resources Board Order to phase out new gas powered vehicles by 2035, but the state has not yet approved exemptions for four other standards for adopted diesel vehicles.
President-elect Donald J. Trump has threatened to rescind or challenge all zero-emission vehicle rules and other clean-air standards in California. By withdrawing its request for approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Newsom administration is signaling a dramatic move as the state rebuilds in anticipation of a new Trump era.
“California has withdrawn its pending waiver and approval requests that US EPA has not yet acted on,” Air Resources Board Chair Leanne Randolph said in a statement. “While we are disappointed that the US EPA has not been able to act on all requests in a timely manner, the withdrawal is an important step given the uncertainty presented by the incoming administration, which has previously attacked California’s programs to protect public health and the climate and said it will continue to do so. Oppose those programs.”
Environmentalists were outraged, saying it put communities at risk and dismantled key programs.
“To meet basic standards for healthy air, California must transition to zero-emission trucks and trains in the coming years. Diesel is one of the most dangerous types of air pollution to human health, and California’s diesel problem is big enough to cast its own shadow,” Paul Court, Group director of Earthjustice’s Right to Zero campaign, said in a statement. “We will work tirelessly in the coming years – and call on Governor Newsom, state legislators and our air quality regulators to join us – to clean up our freight system and fix the mess that EPA’s inaction has created.”
California Improved clean fleet The rule, which phases out diesel trucks, was one of the most far-reaching and controversial rules California has enacted in recent years to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. It would end sales of new fossil-fuel trucks in 2036 and require large trucking companies to convert their medium- and heavy-duty fleets to electric or hydrogen models by 2042.
Truck fleet rules, Approved in 2022 After years of analysis, public hearings and discussions with industry and experts, it was one of the most controversial and aggressive rules the board has adopted. This would end diesel’s stronghold in goods movement in the state, potentially having a profound impact on the state’s environment and economy.
Trucking companies have already sued the state to stop the rule, saying electric and hydrogen big rigs aren’t practical for many uses and would destroy the state’s economy.
“The California Trucking Association has consistently stated that the Advanced Clean Fleets rule was unattainable,” association Chief Executive Eric Sauer said in a statement. He said the industry will work with state aviation boards and the EPA to “further reduce emissions as technologically feasible.” Cost-effective method. That protects our state and nation’s critical supply chains.”
Diesel exhaust has been linked to cancer and contains fine particles that can trigger asthma and heart attacks, as well as smog-causing gases. Low-income, disadvantaged communities of color near ports, freeways, and warehouses Long complained about harmful and dangerous diesel exhaust.
Also, the state has withdrawn three other measures including emission controls from diesel-powered vehicles locomotive, Commercial harbor craft And Refrigeration unit engine which are brought by trucks and trains.
Under the locomotive rule, only locomotives less than 23 years old would have been allowed in California beginning in 2030, unless they were zero emissions. The rule also limits how long they can remain inactive. People living in communities with trains and rail yards have long complained that the emissions are making them sick. Railway Dr No zero-emission locomotive technology exists yet so the rule’s “timeline is impossible” and it would prematurely retire viable equipment and disrupt freight movement.
Under the Clean Air Act, Congress more than a century and a half ago gave California the unique power to set its own aggressive emissions standards for cars, trucks and other vehicles because of its heavy smog. But the federal EPA must grant California a waiver to implement them.
For decades, the EPA has given California waivers. Only one waiver was initially rejected — a 2008 rule setting greenhouse gas emissions standards for cars — and that decision Quick reversals and waivers are granted.
But when Trump was last in office, his administration took aim at the state special status One of the most significant environmental conflicts of the first Trump era is the imposition of strict regulations. Biden administration in 2022 opposite That effort.
California air-quality officials have been waiting years for the Biden administration’s EPA to approve the final four rules, hoping that time won’t run out. But the EPA failed to act on time.
Randolph told CalMatters that the EPA told California it didn’t have time to complete the four waivers, urging the air board to revoke them.
“Once we knew that, we realized we had to put an aggressive strategy in place to make sure we maintained control of the waivers, and so we took them back,” Randolph said. “The Trump administration hasn’t indicated a lot of support for our clean air and climate strategy, right? So our concern was that if we hang them out there, we don’t know what they’re going to do with them. So we thought it was better to maintain control.”
What’s more, Randolph said that litigation will increase under the incoming Trump administration so it’s time to “protect and defend the work we’ve already done.” Some business groups have already filed lawsuits to try to block the order banning sales of gas-powered vehicles in 2035.
“We know there’s going to be a lot of litigation, whether that entity sues us, or we go on the offensive and try to protect our ability to move forward to address both air quality and climate change,” he said.
California may have to suspend future rulemaking for the vehicles during the next four years of the Trump administration. The state may have to rely instead on voluntary agreements with engine manufacturers, trucking companies, railroads, and other industries.
“The California Air Resources Board is evaluating options to continue its progress as part of its commitment to advance the important work of improving the state’s air quality and reducing harmful pollutants that contribute to poor health outcomes and worsen climate change,” Randolph said in a statement.
“It is clear that the public health, air quality and climate challenges facing California require urgent action. We are ready and committed to continue the important work of building a cleaner air future.”
The truck fleet rule will affect about 1.8 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks on California roads, including those used by FedEx, UPS and Amazon. The trucking industry cites the high cost of zero-emission vehicles, limited charging and fueling infrastructure, and the financial burden on small operators.
Some of the provisions for dredge trucks serving the port were already slated to be implemented, but the air board left pending the outcome of the Biden administration’s approval.
Some companies, incl PepsiAlready launched electric and hydrogen fleets. Amazon has deployed 50 heavy-duty electric trucks in Southern California as well as hundreds of Electric van Sales of zero-emission trucks soar despite no national deadline. In 2023, One in every six trucks is sold in the state — more than 18,000 — had zero emissions.
