Biden’s plan has angered a lot of Americans.
The Biden administration has recently solidified regulations targeting emissions from heavy-duty vehicles, marking another significant step in President Biden’s broad climate agenda. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unveiled these new regulations, heralded as the most robust greenhouse gas emissions standards yet. These rules are set to take effect from 2026 for the model year 2027 vehicles and will progressively tighten until 2032, aiming to transition a larger portion of trucks and buses to zero-emissions models within this timeframe.
Ali Zaidi, White House Climate Advisor, emphasized how these standards complement President Biden’s substantial investments in reducing harmful emissions while bolstering future transportation technologies’ manufacturing capabilities. EPA Administrator Michael Regan highlighted the impact, stating that these regulations will significantly reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, contributing to addressing the urgency of the climate crisis.
The EPA estimates that these stringent standards will prevent a billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions and generate approximately $13 billion in annual societal benefits related to health, climate, and business savings. These regulations are expected to drive sustained growth within the heavy-duty vehicle industry.
The regulations cover various types of trucks, including short-haul and long-haul tractor-trailers, as well as vocational trucks such as vehicles used for delivery, trash trucks, buses, construction trucks, and fire trucks. EPA projections suggest a notable shift towards electric vehicles, with expectations that by 2032, around 50% of vocational trucks, 35% of short-haul tractor-trailers, and 25% of long-haul tractor-trailers produced will be electric.
While environmental activists have welcomed these regulations, citing the urgent need to address the trucking industry’s significant carbon footprint, there has been pushback from industry stakeholders. Groups representing trucking companies and energy producers argue that these regulations will increase operational costs.
The administration’s move has sparked criticism from Republican lawmakers, who view it as adding further regulatory burdens amid economic challenges. Some have even signaled intentions to challenge the regulations legislatively.
In response to concerns raised during the public comment period, the final standards are somewhat less stringent than initially proposed. These regulations come on the heels of the EPA’s recent finalization of multi-pollutant emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles, underlining the administration’s commitment to tackling emissions across the transportation sector.