California requires nearly half of all heavy-duty truck sales to be electric by 2035 as the state strives to reduce emissions.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden has approved a plan for California to phase out the use of heavy-duty trucks that emit carbon as the state makes efforts to reduce emissions and improve air quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday that it is paving the way for California to require nearly half of all heavy-duty truck sales to be electric by 2035, phasing out large trucks that rely on diesel.
“We are leading the charge to get dirty trucks and buses – the most polluting vehicles – off our streets, and other states and countries are lining up to follow our lead,” California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement. a statement.
The decision allows California to move forward with one of the most ambitious efforts by any U.S. state to reduce emissions in the carbon-intensive transportation sector, which accounts for about 40 percent of California’s greenhouse gas emissions.
California, which has the largest economy of any US state, has a history of pushing for stricter emissions regulations. Newsom said he hoped the state’s plan would have a cascading effect and encourage other states to continue with similar initiatives of their own.
According to The Associated Press, Newsom’s office said eight other states have expressed their intent to take similar action. In August, California along with 15 other states, plus the District of Columbia, signed a letter urging the EPA to pass California’s trucking standards.
Newsom also approved a ban on the sale of new gasoline-only cars by 2035, a rule that is still being considered for approval by the EPA.
A group of 17 Republican attorneys general has taken legal action against California’s ability to set pollution standards stricter than those set at the federal level, and the dispute could make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The rules approved on Friday will target companies that build trucks, as well as companies that use a large number of them for business purposes.
Businesses with fleets of 50 or more trucks must share information about their usage with the state. For manufacturers, zero-emission trucks will need to make up between 40 and 75 percent of sales by 2035, depending on the vehicle class.
Industry groups have opposed such efforts, stating they will impose cumbersome regulations on the industry and place additional burdens on businesses that rely on trucking.
However, environmental and social justice groups have welcomed the announcement, stating it will help reduce harmful pollutants in parts of the state, especially in low-income communities with high trucking activity.
“The burden of trucking falls disproportionately on low-income communities of color who have to breathe air polluted by these diesel trucks in areas such as ports or distribution centers where there is a lot of activity,” Bill Magavern, a spokesperson for the Clean Air Coalition, told Al. Jazeera in a phone call.
He added, “Transportation is the largest source of air pollution in the state.”