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5 months ago
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Joe Biden has introduced his toughest rules for emissions from trucks and buses as part of a sweeping plan to put more electric vehicles on the road.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the strict set of guidelines for heavy vehicles - including cement mixers, garbage trucks, RVs, ambulances and school buses - on Friday.
It would mean 25 percent of long-haul trucks and 40 percent of medium size trucks - like landscaping vehicles and box trucks - would need to be non-polluting by 2032.
Unlike other Biden vehicle policies, manufacturers do not have a mandate to sell more electric cars.
The Biden administration has introduced its toughest rules for emissions from trucks as part of the sweeping plan to make more vehicles electric
School buses would be covered by the new emissions rules
But it limits the amount of pollution trucks can produce on models manufactured in 2027 and beyond.
'This is another giant step forward to protect future generations from climate change,' EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.
Manufacturers will have to decide how they implement the cleaner standards, and could use more zero-emission batteries or hydrogen fuel cells.
The EPA believes the new limits will wipe out a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and enhance public health.
'Looking across multiple classes of vehicles, the industry can make proper investment strategies, giving them flexibility to choose from a range of options,' it said.
U.S. President Joe Biden is shown a Chevrolet Silverado EV by General Motors Chief Executive Mary Barra during a visit to the Detroit Auto Show to highlight electric vehicle manufacturing in America, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., September 14, 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden tests the new Ford F-150 lightning truck as he visits VDAB at Ford Dearborn Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan, U.S., May 18, 2021
More than 13 million tanker trucks' worth of gasoline will be reduced through the measures over the next decade, the EPA said.
'EPA is finalizing the strongest national greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles in history,' said Regan. 'In finalizing these emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses, EPA is significantly cutting pollution from the hardest-working vehicles on the road,'
He added that heavy-duty vehicles are essential for 'keeping our economy moving' but 'there are also significant contributors to pollution from the transportation sector, emissions that are fueling climate change and creating poor air quality in too many American communities.'
Ambulances would be covered by the new EPA rules
Joe Biden wants to introduce thousands of new charging stations
The EPA said that around 72 million people in the United States live next to truck freight routes, and they are more likely to be people of color or from low-income households.
'Today's trucks rules will improve the air we breathe and curb the pollution that is driving climate change,' said Paul Billings, a public policy director at the American Lung Association.
A tanker truck transports crude oil on a highway near Duchesne, Utah on July 13, 2023
Stacked cargo containers are loaded on to trucks for transport at the Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, USA, 28 March 2024
The move comes after Biden's administration recently issued revised pollution standards for American cars in a bid to accelerate the US auto industry's shift to electric.
Last week, it announced new standards for automakers, which will require a nearly 50 percent drop in fleet-wide emissions in 2032 compared with 2026 through increased sales of electric vehicles and low-emission cars.
The rules dovetail with other Biden programs to incentivize EV sales and build more EV charging stations and manufacturing facilities.
White House Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi. 'By tackling pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, we can unlock extraordinary public health, climate, and economic gains.'
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