News: Emissions

In July, the Trump administration proposed a draft rule rolling back the Greenhouse Gas Phase 3 rule, among the last of – if not the biggest – looming Biden-era emissions regulations facing the trucking industry. 

The proposal was announced jointly with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator (EPA) Lee Zeldin’s call to revoke the Endangerment Finding that has allowed presidential administrations to regulate greenhouse gases since 2009. 

The repeal of greenhouse gas regulations is a long road that includes a lengthy rulemaking process and likely numerous legal challenges.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate this month seeks to repeal heavy-duty emissions standards, eliminate new and existing emissions waivers granted to states, set a national standard for emissions and more.

The “Transportation Freedom Act,” as the legislation is known, was introduced by Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and co-sponsored by Sens. Tim Sheehy (R-Montana), Jim Banks (R-Indiana) and James Justice (R-West Virginia). It includes several provisions related to heavy-duty truck emissions standards, as well as provisions addressing light- and medium-duty vehicles.

Notably, the bill would repeal Phase 3 of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles. The Phase 3 GHG rule, finalized last year, ramps up CO2 emissions standards for trucks between model years 2027 and 2032.