(AGENPARL) – ven 29 marzo 2024 Issued: Mar 29, 2024 (9:53am EDT)
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EPA Finalizes Strongest Ever Greenhouse Gas Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
to Protect Public Health and Address the Climate Crisis While Keeping the
American Economy Moving
EPA Finalizes Strongest Ever Greenhouse Gas Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles
to Protect Public Health and Address the Climate Crisis While Keeping the
American Economy Moving 
LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 29, 2024) – Today, March 29, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency announced final national greenhouse gas pollution standards
for heavy-duty vehicles, such as freight trucks and buses, for model years
2027 through 2032. The standards will avoid 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas
emissions and provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society
related to public health, the climate, and savings for truck owners and
operators. The final standards will also reduce dangerous air pollution,
especially for the 72 million people in the United States who live near truck
freight routes, bear the burden of higher levels of pollution, and are more
likely to be people of color or come from low-income households.
The “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles – Phase 3”
standards will provide greater certainty for industry, while catalyzing
private investment, supporting U.S. manufacturing jobs in advanced vehicle
technologies, and invigorating and strengthening the U.S. economy. Over the
next decade, these final standards, paired with President Biden’s historic
Investing in America agenda and investments in U.S. manufacturing, will set
the U.S. heavy-duty sector on a trajectory for sustained growth.
EPA’s latest modeling shows that the final standards will result in greater
reductions of pollution than the proposed rule, while providing more time and
flexibility for manufacturers to develop, scale, and deploy clean heavy-duty
vehicle technologies. The 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided
by these standards is equivalent to the emissions from more than 13 million
tanker trucks’ worth of gasoline. With this action, the Biden-Harris
Administration is continuing to deliver on the most ambitious climate agenda
in history while advancing a historic commitment to environmental justice.
“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,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “Building
on our recently finalized rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles, EPA’s
strong and durable vehicle standards respond to the urgency of the climate
crisis by making deep cuts in emissions from the transportation sector.”
“EPA’s standards complement President Biden’s unprecedented investment
in our workers and communities to reduce harmful emissions, while
strengthening our manufacturing capacity for the transportation technologies
of the future,” said President Biden’s National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi.
“By tackling pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, we can unlock extraordinary
public health, climate, and economic gains.”
Trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles are vital to the United States economy,
transporting goods and freight and providing services for industry, transit,
and other sectors. At the same time, heavy-duty vehicles account for 25
percent of all greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector, which
is itself the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United
States. Greenhouse gas emissions are the primary driver of climate change and
its impacts, including more severe heat waves, drought, sea level rise,
extreme climate and weather events, coastal flooding, and catastrophic
wildfires.
“The American Lung Association is pleased to support the new cleaner trucks
standards,” said Paul G. Billings, National Senior Vice President, Public
Policy, American Lung Association. “Today’s rule will improve the air we
breathe and curb the pollution that is driving climate change. This rule is
the capstone of the Clean Trucks Plan. The strong standards finalized today
build on the 2023 rule to address oxides of nitrogen and last week’s
multipollutant rule that will clean up light-and medium-duty vehicles. The
result will be cleaner air and better health, especially in communities with
heavy truck traffic nearby.”
“Sierra Club is pleased that the EPA has finalized the federal heavy-duty
vehicle standards, which will help cut emissions from large polluting trucks
and buses,” said Katherine García, Director of the Sierra Club’s Clean
Transportation for All campaign. “The new standards reflect Congress’ long
standing demand for healthy air along with its recent historic investments in
getting cleaner vehicles on our roads, corridors, and ports. Together, they
are a game changer. With the climate crisis underway and many of our
communities facing unprecedented fires, droughts, and floods, it’s crucial
that truck manufacturers get into the fast lane with zero-emission trucks to
deliver the climate, health, and economic benefits we deserve.”
“Hip Hop Caucus is encouraged by EPA’s new federal emissions standards for
trucks, which will reduce the harmful air pollution that disproportionately
affects Black, Brown, Indigenous and low-income communities near ports,
roadways and highways,” said Russell Armstrong, Senior Director of Campaigns
and Advocacy at the Hip Hop Caucus. “This is a meaningful step in the right
direction. We will continue to work with EPA to make sure that clean vehicles
are accessible and affordable for all.”
Heavy-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Standards
Today’s “Phase 3” standards build on EPA’s Heavy-Duty Phase 2 program
from 2016 and maintain that program’s flexible structure, which is designed
to reflect the diverse nature of the heavy-duty vehicle industry. The
standards are technology-neutral and performance-based, allowing each
manufacturer to choose what set of emissions control technologies is best
suited for them and the needs of their customers. Available technologies
include advanced internal combustion engine vehicles, hybrid vehicles, plug-in
hybrid electric vehicles, battery electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cell
vehicles. These new standards apply to heavy-duty vocational vehicles (such
as delivery trucks, refuse haulers, public utility trucks, and transit,
shuttle, and school buses) and tractors (such as day cabs and sleeper cabs on
tractor-trailer trucks).
Relative to the proposal, EPA’s final rule provides more time in the early
model years of the program for the development of vehicle technologies and
deployment of charging and refueling infrastructure. The final rule also
includes flexibilities that will assist manufacturers in meeting the standards
in the early years of the program while preserving incentives for early
adoption of advanced technologies.
EPA received extensive feedback on the proposed rule, including over 175,000
public comments, testimony at public hearings, and engagement with stakeholder
groups. The final standards were informed by the best available data and
information in the public record and rigorous technical assessments, including
consideration of the extensive public input EPA received in response to the
proposed rulemaking. 
Prioritizing Public Health and Climate Benefits
Pollution from heavy-duty vehicles contributes to climate change and can
exacerbate serious health issues such as respiratory and heart ailments,
especially for the 72 million people in the United States who live close to
truck freight routes and are more likely to be people of color or come from
low-income households. Today’s final heavy-duty greenhouse gas standards
complete EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and
other harmful air pollutants (including nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate
matter (PM), and air toxics) from heavy-duty vehicles through a series of
rulemakings. These rules include today’s standards as well as (1) EPA’s
recently finalized light- and medium-duty vehicle multipollutant standards for
MY 2027-2032 (which covers Class 2b and 3 trucks), and (2) EPA’s December
2022 rule to control smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy-duty engines
and vehicles. The Clean Trucks Plan represents the most protective set of EPA
regulations ever for the on-road sector, significantly reducing pollution,
protecting public health, and responding to the urgency of climate change.
Savings and Customer Choice
There is a wide variety of trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles on the road,
serving a diverse array of needs and customers. Today’s standards recognize
the diversity of vehicle types and encourage further innovations in clean
vehicle technology, enhancing options at the dealership that will also save
customers, owners, and operators money through reduced fuel and maintenance
costs. Under these new standards, the heavy-duty industry is expected to
realize annualized savings of $3.5 billion compared to annualized costs of
about $1.1 billion from 2027 through 2055.
After accounting for the vehicle purchase tax credits provided under President
Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the typical buyer of new clean technology
vocational vehicles and day cabs in 2032 when the standards are fully phased
in will save money on the upfront cost of the vehicles and recoup any
additional costs, such as the purchase and installation of vehicle charging
equipment, in two to four years. The typical buyer of new clean technology
sleeper cab will recoup the upfront cost of a vehicle in five years. A
purchaser of a heavy-duty truck in 2032 – when the standards are fully
phased in – could save between $3,700 and $10,500 on fuel and maintenance
costs annually, depending on vehicle type.
Working with Stakeholders Throughout Phase 3 Implementation
EPA’s analysis finds that heavy-duty vehicle technologies, charging and
refueling infrastructure, and supply chains will be available to support the
final standards. At the same time, EPA has committed to actively monitor and
track the technologies the heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers are developing and
deploying, and the deployment of heavy-duty vehicle electric charging and
hydrogen fueling infrastructure in order to ensure the successful
implementation of the Phase 3 program.
EPA will consult with a wide range of stakeholders on an ongoing basis to
learn from their experiences and gather relevant information and data. These
stakeholders will include, at a minimum, trucking fleets and trucking trade
associations; heavy-duty vehicle owner-operators; heavy-duty vehicle
manufacturers; investor-owned utilities, public utilities, and electricity
cooperatives; infrastructure providers and installers; state and local
governments, communities with environmental justice concerns; and
environmental and public health NGOs. In consultation with other agencies,
beginning as early as 2026, EPA will issue periodic reports reflecting the
collected information throughout the lead-up to and during the implementation
of the Phase 3 standards. Based on these reports, the agency may decide to
issue guidance documents, initiate a future rulemaking to consider
modifications to the Phase 3 rule, or make no changes to the program.
In parallel to the Phase 3 rule, the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation
and the Department of Energy, in collaboration with the Department of
Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, recently announced the
first-ever National Zero Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, an
all-of-government action plan for deploying a world-class zero-emission
freight network across the nation by 2040. The Strategy prioritizes
high-traffic routes and freight hubs to catalyze four phases of public and
private investment in heavy-duty zero-emission transportation, with a focus on
reducing harmful emissions for the most affected communities.
Investing in America’s Clean Transportation Future 
The final standards align with and support the commitments and billions of
dollars’ worth of investments from trucking fleets, vehicle manufacturers,
and vehicle technology firms as they plan to increase the use or production of
clean vehicle technologies in trucking and other heavy-duty fleets. These
investments are resulting in a range of technologies with the potential for
further significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions from heavy-duty
motor vehicles.
EPA recently announced the launch of the $3 billion Clean Ports Program to
help tackle emissions from heavy-duty vehicles both in and out of U.S. port
communities. Along with EPA’s long-standing Diesel Emissions Reduction Act
(DERA) program which reduces harmful emissions from diesel engines, the new
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Clean School Bus Program, and an upcoming clean
heavy-duty program to fund the replacement of existing Class 6 or Class 7
vehicles with clean technology vehicles, we are making changes in communities
now to reduce emissions from the heavy-duty fleet. Together, these programs
are offering billions of dollars in funding to replace older vehicles and
engines with clean vehicle technology options.
As the EPA finalizes the rule, the Biden-Harris Administration is also
investing funds in communities across America from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law to promote clean transportation, including building a
national network of EV chargers and alternative-fuel stations; ensuring
domestic manufacturers have the materials they need to make EV batteries; and
funding clean transit and clean school buses, with priority for underserved
communities. In addition, funding through the Inflation Reduction Act will
directly support the clean-vehicle transition through support for domestic
battery manufacturing and clean vehicle purchases for owners, operators, and
businesses.
For more information on the Phase 3 Final Rulemaking, please visit EPA’s
Final Rule: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles –
Phase 3 website. 
# # #
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