By: Christine D. Berg, M.D. Oncologist in Prevention and Early Detection & Lindsey Mendelson, Transportation Representative with Maryland Sierra Club
Have you ever smelled the foul air and seen the plume of thick smoke of exhaust released by a large diesel truck? Unfortunately, every time we breathe in this pollution we are putting our health at risk. Diesel trucks and other large diesel vehicles, from school buses to delivery vans, represent only 10% of vehicles on the road but account for 30% of carbon emissions and 57% of particulate matter pollution within the transportation sector. Our long term exposure to this pollution greatly increases our risk of developing diseases such as asthma, lung cancer and heart attacks. And the emissions are also responsible for the health impacts of the climate crisis we are feeling today–from deadly heat waves, deaths from flooding, a surge in tick-borne diseases (due to longer warmer weather), and mental health and stress-related disorders.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. The technology is here to electrify these big polluters. We have the opportunity right now to shift the status quo so that Marylanders can breathe easier! Maryland can accelerate the electrification of the vehicles by adopting a bill called the Zero-Emission Truck Act (HB 829/SB 687) sponsored by Delegate Love and Senator Young. This bill states that Maryland should adopt a regulation called the Advanced Clean Truck Rule, requiring that large vehicle manufacturers sell an increasing annual percentage of zero-emission trucks, school buses, and delivery vans in Maryland. The bill implements a commitment that Maryland signed with over a dozen states committing that 30% of these vehicle sales are zero-emission by 2030. In the last few months Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Oregon and Washington joined California in adopting these standards for trucks and now Maryland can too!
Electric trucks and school buses produce no tailpipe emissions, are increasingly available, and will soon be cheaper than diesel powered trucks. There are over 100 models from more than 30 manufacturers that are either currently on the market or will be before 2024. In fact, at a rally hosted by CHISPA Maryland, Maryland LCV, Sierra Club, Voices Maryland, Policy Foundation, Labor Network for Sustainability, and other partners, we showcased Hyattsville’s all-electric trash truck named Sparky! (See photo of Hieu Le with the Sierra Club's national Clean Transportation For All campaign on the left and Lindsey Mendelson with Maryland Sierra Club on the right). The truck was made by BYD which has hundreds of unionized workers in the United States.
As we transition to electrified trucks and buses we have the opportunity to create more high quality union jobs and should be seeking opportunities to bring more manufacturing opportunities to our state! It is also critical that solutions like these prioritize communities most disproportionately affected by diesel vehicle pollution, particularly communities of color that are more likely to live along major roads and highways as a result of decades of residential segregation. When our legislators vote for clean trucks and school buses, they are voting for cleaner air and a brighter future for us all. Tell them to Vote Yes on the Zero Emission Truck Act!
