EPA proposes stronger pollution limits on new trucks

From Transport Topics.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed rulemaking to further restrict emissions of soot-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) by heavy-duty diesel and gasoline engines starting in model year 2027.

EPA’s intention is to reduce NOx emissions from trucks by as much as 60% in 2045.

The current NOx standard is 0.2 gram per brake horsepower-hour and was adopted in 2010.

EPA also will update greenhouse gas regulations for sectors where electrification is advancing at a more rapid pace, including in shorthaul tractors, commercial delivery trucks, school buses and transit buses.

At the same time, EPA reported it plans to set new GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles as soon as model year 2030 to more comprehensively address the long-term trend toward zero-emission vehicles across the heavy-duty sector.

EPA termed its NOx proposal, announced March 7, as the first step in its Clean Trucks Plan intended “to deliver significant and needed public health benefits by designing a program that sets ambitious standards and that are feasible for the trucking industry after giving appropriate consideration to cost and other factors, while supporting the American economy,” according to a release.

American Trucking Associations said it shares the EPA’s goal of cleaner air, and wants to help ensure an outcome that is not harmful to trucking.

ATA seeks a single national NOx emissions standard that can be achieved with workable, reliable technology — “anything less than that will be extremely problematic for ATA and our members.”

See the complete article online at Transport Topics.