40+ Orgs to Governors: Stay Committed to Clean Truck Standards

December 2, 2024

The Honorable Michelle Lujan Grisham 

The Honorable Maura Healey

The Honorable Kathy Hochul

The Honorable Jay Inslee

The Honorable Tina Kotek

The Honorable Dan McKee

The Honorable Wes Moore

The Honorable Phil Murphy 

The Honorable Jared Polis

The Honorable Gavin Newsom 

The Honorable Phil Scott 

Dear Governor:

We, the undersigned organizations representing millions of members and supporters across the country, urge Governors to continue being leaders on reducing vehicle emissions and stay committed to the clean truck standards your states have adopted, which will deliver vital health, environmental, and economic benefits. Your states have consistently led on clean air and climate policies that deliver health and economic benefits. That continued leadership is needed now more than ever as state action will be pivotal for common sense clean air and climate policies to advance during the next four years. 

In addition to clean trucks standards, many of your states have passed ambitious policies to reduce carbon emissions to protect communities grappling with the profound impacts of climate change and cover the toll of increasingly common billion-dollar disasters. Because pollution from heavy-duty vehicles has an outsized impact on public health and the climate crisis, transitioning to cleaner trucks is imperative for curbing carbon and diesel emissions at the pace required. These cost-effective and technologically-feasible clean trucks standards are essential for curbing local air pollution, addressing the worst effects of climate change, and ensuring the U.S. remains competitive in the growing global clean truck marketplace. 

We are deeply concerned by the truck makers, whose reported vehicle pricing and availability strategies appear to be having significantly disruptive effects in the market for clean vehicles, accompanied by claims that the companies cannot meet the clean truck standards that have been adopted in your states. The trucking industry has launched a coordinated multi-state effort to recklessly pressure states to delay implementation of the Heavy-duty Omnibus (HDO) and Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) standards. In a recent letter to the Truck & Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA), many of you reminded truck makers that the ACT standards are achievable and contain ample compliance flexibilities, and we wholeheartedly agree. 

According to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report, 39 percent of Americans— over 131 million people—live in areas that have received failing grades for unhealthy levels of ozone or particulate matter in their air. Cleaner trucks are needed to address long standing air quality problems in communities located near trucking corridors and hubs, ports, and warehouses. These communities  are often disproportionately affected by diesel exhaust emissions, experience increased health burdens due to poor air quality, and are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. 

Adopting these clean trucks standards shows your commitment to ensuring more Americans are breathing clean air, thriving in healthy communities, and advancing the clean energy economy. We appreciate that each state led a comprehensive process carefully studying the benefits of the rules, leading public workshops, engaging industry and communities, and providing truck makers helpful considerations such as sufficient lead time and compliance flexibilities. 

Prior to adopting these regulations, many of your states joined the Multi-State Medium and Heavy Duty Zero-Emission Vehicle Initiative, which established goals to make at least 30 percent of new Medium and Heavy Duty (MHD) vehicle sales ZEVs by 2030, and 100 percent of sales ZEVs by no later than 2050. This concerted effort to get cleaner trucks on our roads requires that states continue with their original implementation plans and timeline.

Unfortunately, truck makers have a long track record of working to undermine truck standards at the federal and state levels and now, they are misleading dealers and stoking fear about the regulations. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) published a recent analysis based on interviews with dealers, upfitters, fleets, and manufacturers outlining the complaints about alleged product shortages of cleaner HDO engines. CARB confirmed that the truck companies are well-situated to comply with the regulations. 

CARB’s recent analysis further shows that truck fleets in California are paying disproportionately high prices for zero emission trucks as compared to what they would pay for similar products in Europe. As battery prices (the most expensive part of a zero emission truck) are going down, basic economics suggest that the overall price of a truck should go down. In Europe that is true. In California it is not. 

Federal antitrust, consumer protection, and unfair business practice laws defend consumers and the public when market power is used unfairly, and we urge you to use all relevant tools to hold industry accountable. Proposals to delay implementation of cleaner trucks that are being rushed through based upon unsubstantiated fears and the disruptive strategies of truck manufacturers are irresponsible and unacceptable. It is critical that fleets are not unduly disadvantaged in the marketplace and we encourage you and your Attorney’s General offices to investigate market behavior around cleaner trucks. 

The state truck standards took into consideration manufacturer needs by including credit flexibilities and extended compliance timelines. Manufacturers have received billions of dollars from the federal government to support truck electrification. State and federal governments are making major investments in the charging infrastructure to power these vehicles. These standards help fleets benefit from cost savings and avoid risks associated with the volatility of fossil fuel prices and supply, and help manufacturers spur innovation in the U.S. 

Governors are responsible for protecting their residents from harm, and by adopting these crucial vehicle emissions standards you’ve demonstrated bold leadership. Do not let the trucking industry’s disinformation and market tactics erode your efforts to safeguard the health of your residents and air quality of your communities. We call on you to remain firm and implement the clean truck standards that your state carefully adopted. 

Sincerely,

350 Bay Area Action

Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments

C40 Cities

California Nurses for Environmental Health & Justice

California Interfaith Power & Light

CALSTART

Center for Biological Diversity

Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ)

Central California Asthma Collaborative

Clean Energy Works

The Climate Center

Climate Solutions

Coalition for Clean Air

Coalition for Healthy Ports

Coltura

Conservation Law Foundation

Earthjustice

Elders Climate Action

Electric Vehicle Association

EV Charging for All Coalition

Evergreen Action

Generation180

Good Neighbor Steering Committee

GreenLatinos

Interfaith Power & Light

League of Conservation Voters (LCV)

Move LA

Neighbors for Clean Air

New Mexico & El Paso Region Interfaith Power and Light

New Mexico Coalition for Clean Affordable Energy

Pacific Environment

The People's Collective for Environmental Justice

Plug In America

Public Citizen

Regional Asthma Management & Prevention (RAMP)

RiSE for Environmental Justice

SanDiego350

Sierra Club

Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

The Sunrise Project

Union of Concerned Scientists

WE ACT for Environmental Justice

Western Resource Advocates