A Road to Better Tomorrows: The EPA’s Proposed Regulation of Heavy Trucking
By Matthew Baharmast, June 13, 2023
While keeping up with climate change requires facing myriad challenges, the Biden Administration has been overarchingly successful in ramping up environmental and climate action. Most recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed updates to transit policy including a new set of standards for heavy-duty vehicles.
To meet its climate goals, the United States must maintain a trajectory of progressively decreasing emissions year after year. While keeping up with climate change requires facing myriad challenges, the Biden Administration has been overarchingly successful in ramping up environmental and climate action. Most recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed updates to transit policy including a new set of standards for heavy-duty vehicles. Industrial vehicles, consisting of class seven and eight automobiles for non-personal use, are responsible for almost seven percent of total national greenhouse gas emissions. Overall, transportation accounts for over a quarter of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. While the transit sector is currently a significant source of environmental degradation, it can be the catalyst for innovation, economic growth, and natural restoration.
Due to the broad scope of climate change, it can be difficult to identify its potential to affect our daily lives. Yet, the rapid shifting of global climate will deeply impact our local communities. Within Michigan, both greenhouse gasses and particulate pollution have the potential to cause immediate economic and human health threats. Climate-induced drought places inexorable stress on the state’s $100 billion agriculture industry. Meanwhile for shipping vessels on Lake Michigan, every inch decrease in water levels can increase costs by up to $30,000 per vessel. Industrial vehicles not only release climate-changing greenhouse gasses, but are also the source of dangerous pollutants such as PM2.5 or “soot.” The American Lung Association’s 2022 State of the Air report found the Detroit area to be the 16th most polluted city in the country in terms of year-round particle pollution (an improvement from 12th worst the year prior). Disadvantaged socioeconomic groups also bear the brunt of the impacts as the most affordable housing exists near highways and industrial spaces, further harming the 32% of Detroit residents who live below the poverty line.
The EPA’s new proposal, known colloquially as the “Phase 3” vehicle standards, builds upon an already existing “Phase 2” previously approved in 2016. “Phase 2” organized heavy-duty vehicles into categories of combination tractors, trailers, vocational vehicles, and heavy-duty pickup trucks/vans, requiring a scaling up of emissions reductions on the part of engine manufacturers from model years 2021 to MY 2027. The “Phase 3” proposal applies to vehicles from model year 2027 through 2032 and further tightens regulation of emissions. Importantly, the new updates also include provisions focused on transitioning heavy duty fleets from gas to zero emissions transmission (including electric or hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles). By model year 2032, “Phase 3” requires 50% of vocational vehicles, 34% of day cab tractors, and 25% of sleeper cab tractors to be zero emission vehicles. While these regulations are placed on manufacturers, minimal cost increases will be transferred to consumers as the EPA is simultaneously investing $1 billion in heavy-duty decarbonization during the same time period through funds authorized in the Inflation Reduction Act.
While opponents of environmental action argue that decarbonizing is costly, the numbers tell a different story. The EPA estimates that the benefits of the “Phase 3” proposal exceed total costs by as much as $320 billion. Society would attain approximately $87 billion in terms of climate remediation, up to $29 billion from the resulting reduction in premature deaths and serious health effects such respiratory or cardiovascular illnesses, and approximately $12 billion from the expansion of energy independence. Mitigating climate change can both grow our economy and save lives. Smart regulation can pave the way for a more prosperous future. While this reimagined reality is undoubtedly attainable, it is only with advocacy and careful consideration that better tomorrows will be achieved. It is our choice which path we take.
While “Phase 3” has been outlined, it has yet to be finalized and the EPA is continuing to hear public comments. Written input may be submitted through June 16th; instructions on how to submit comments or sign onto Climate Action Campaign’s letter of support can be found below:
Written comments on the proposal may be submitted directly to the EPA by emailing a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov. Include “Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0985” in the subject line of the message.
To sign onto Climate Action Campaign’s letter in support of trucking regulation please click here.
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