100+ Organizations to EPA: Move Forward with Waivers for State Clean Truck Rules to Improve Air Quality for Communities

NATIONWIDE - Today, a broad coalition of 114 organizations, representing communities across the nation, sent a letter to the EPA urging the agency to move forward with three Clean Air Act waivers that are essential for states to protect their residents from toxic pollution from heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses.

The statement reads: “Many of our groups have advocated for the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT), the Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO) Low NOx, and the Zero-Emission Airport Shuttle regulations because they are the best and most cost-effective tools states currently have for slashing the toxic emissions from diesel trucks and buses. It is imperative that states have the ability to enforce stronger vehicle emission standards than those set by the federal government. Delaying implementation by even one year would hinder the ability of states to stay on track to meet air quality and climate commitments and create costly regulatory uncertainty to the industry.”

“The Inland Empire of California has some of the worst air quality in the nation, and pollution from trucks is a big part of that,” said Sierra Club Senior Campaign Representative Yassi Kavezade. “We continue to break smog records, harming the health of our communities. Millions of California residents depend on state regulation to protect our health and slash climate pollution from the most polluting vehicles on our roads; the EPA must immediately grant these waivers.”

“New Jersey’s air quality – especially in our cities – continues to be burdened by the polluting smelly soot of dirty diesel polluting trucks, which has direct health impacts for millions of residents,” said Doug O’Malley, director of Environment New Jersey. “If we want to clean our air and reach our ambitious climate goals, we must move to electrify everything on wheels. Studies have shown that by adopting these rules, New Jersey could save hundreds of lives, avoid thousands of additional respiratory illnesses and reduce millions of metrics of climate and air pollutants. There’s a long legacy of EPA granting waivers to allow states to adopt stronger air quality protections. EPA shouldn’t delay any further and should immediately grant these waivers.”

"Coming from Little Village, Chicago, a community that is significantly impacted negatively by heavy-duty trucks, and in a state that is fighting to emulate what California has done with the ACT and HDO, the granting of this waiver is crucial. The EPA must grant the waiver for heavy-duty truck electrification as soon as possible,” said José Miguel Acosta Córdova, Senior Transportation Policy Analyst with the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization.