The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed on Monday new standards for heavy-duty truck and engine manufacturers to further reduce emissions starting in model year 2027.
EPA says the proposed standards would reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty gasoline and diesel engines by as much as 60% by 2045 and set updated greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for certain commercial vehicle categories.
The proposal is part of the Biden Administration’s “Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks,” and is the first step in EPA’s “Clean Trucks Plan.”
Specifics of the new regulations are still in development, and EPA is seeking comment from industry stakeholders on two regulatory options listed in the proposal. The agency notes that, while it is proposing two options, it is “giving full consideration to both options, as well as the full range of options between them." Both proposed options would begin with model year 2027 truck, but "Option 1 would have a second step” for 2031 vehicles.
Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) President Jed Mandel said engines made after 2010 emit roughly 30 times less NOx than those made before 2010.
EPA also proposes an Alternative option, which is more stringent than the other two options and which the agency says may not be feasible in the proposed timeframe.
