Last month, President Trump signed legislation officially revoking the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) waivers allowing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to continue to impose either their low-NOx Omnibus or their Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulations. The waivers were originally granted by the EPA, and the rules went into effect starting with model year 2024 trucks.
The Omnibus rule required emissions reductions more stringent than those of the EPA, and the ACT rule required engine manufacturers to transition to zero emission trucks.
California responded by immediately filing a lawsuit seeking to overturn the legislation. California and ten other states claim Congress improperly used the Congressional Review Act (CRA). In addition to the lawsuit, California Governor Newsom signed an Executive Order directing CARB to develop new rules for both cars and trucks to transition to zero emissions.
One more time for the record, we are not against clean air. We breathe the same air and live in the same communities as our fellow Californians. What we object to is an enforcement timeline that is simply not feasible. Zero emission technology is changing quickly, and it will catch up with the industry’s needs…infrastructure, truck weights, charging times, distance traveled, costs, etc. Until that time comes, the industry needs the flexibility to continue to use diesel-powered trucks while developing, deploying and testing ZEV options.