Studies, proposed rules, Congressional letters, court injunctions, on-again/off-again enforcement — the saga over whether the Environmental Protection Agency should regulate the production and sale of glider kits has been a prominent item here in the pages of Overdrive over the past year. With all of the twists and turns the still-ongoing issue has dealt, you’d be forgiven for having more questions than answers.
For a quick clarifier, here’s where the issue of glider kit emissions stand currently.
Regs here to stay — for now
The wide-ranging Phase 2 emissions regulations (which are industry-wide regulations affecting manufacturers of all trucks, trailers and engines) enacted in 2016 dealt a major blow to the glider kit industry, which had been surging over the past half-decade, ballooning from less than 1 percent of total annual truck sales to nearly 5 percent. The glider-specific regulations took effect Jan. 1 of this year and capped glider kit assemblers at building just 300 trucks annually.
That cap is still in place and will be enforced (despite a flip-flop by EPA). That is, until the EPA finalizes a rule to repeal the 300-truck cap. The agency proposed the rule last November, and it seemingly had momentum. However, when — perhaps if — the rule will become final is a mystery. The wheels of bureaucracy move slowly, and federal rules often take years to come to fruition.
What’s more, the studies thrown at the EPA (see more on that below) regarding the final rule have both come under fire due to ethical concerns. EPA has signaled it is still planning to proceed with the rule, telling Overdrive in July it will “continue to work expeditiously to finalize a solution that provides regulatory relief and prevents any inadvertent economic harm to the glider industry while maintaining important air quality protections.”
Studies under scrutiny
