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California just cracked down on pollution from transportation in two major steps, as part of an effort to improve air quality and lower carbon emissions at the same time.
On Friday, the California Air Resources Board Unanimously approved the rule It would ban the sale of large diesel rigs in the state by 2036. The state that would apply to about 1.8 million trucks – including those operated by Amazon, UPS, and the US Postal Service – it is said that The first in the world Trucks are required to abandon internal combustion engines. The news came a day after California became the first state to adopt the standards Reduce pollution from trains.
The regulations aim to improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions from transportation, source About half of the greenhouse gases in the state. Trucks and trains spew diesel exhaust full of soot that contains more than 40 carcinogens, responsible for an estimated 70 percent The risk of cancer in California from air pollution.
The trucking rule requires school buses and garbage trucks to be zero-emissions within four years. By 2042, all trucks will be required to be “zero emissions,” meaning no pollution comes out of their tailpipes. The deadline comes sooner for dryer trucks, which haul goods from ports and railyards to warehouses—usually short routes that require less battery range. New dryer trucks must be “zero emissions” from next year, with the rule applying to all dryer trucks on the road in 2035.
Currently, medium and heavy-duty vehicles account for a fifth of greenhouse gas emissions statewide. In August, California imposed restrictions on pollution from passenger cars with Plan L Ending the sale of new gas-powered cars in the state by 2035.
People breathing pollution from highways and warehouse centers have long called for stricter air standards. In the port cities of Long Beach and Los Angeles, about 6,000 trucks pass through each day, exposing residents to high levels of contamination. ozone and particulate matter, and pollutants linked to a range of problems including respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Long Beach residents who live closest to ports and highways have a life expectancy of approx 14 years shorter compared to people who live far away.
read the following: California is racing to electrify trucks. Can the industry keep up?
However, the trucking industry argues that California is The transition to electrification by trucking is very fast, and that the state’s strict rules could put small operators out of business. Battery-powered trucks can cost up to half a million dollars including taxes and fees, more than twice the cost of a diesel truck, although Federal tax credits And state rebates For large electric pads soften the blow. Rail operators also say regulations on train pollution will come early and could push up freight prices, with controversy industry That “there is no clear path for zero-emission locomotives.”
According to the new rules, the country bans locomotive engines older than 23 years old by 2030. It also prohibits trains from idling for more than 30 minutes provided they are equipped with The motor that can shut off automatically.
The stage for the rule was set by a single line buried in the Biden administration’s proposal Vehicle emissions rulesThe Environmental Protection Agency said it was considering allowing states to regulate locomotives. However, California’s new rules could spark a legal battle with the rail industry, which argues the state does not have the authority to make such sweeping changes.
Although the railway only accounts for approx 2 percent of the country’s carbon emissions from transportation, Switch to trains powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells It will provide some benefits in efforts to address climate change. The public health gains will be even greater: The California Air Resources Board estimates that its new rules for trains, passed Thursday, will reduce the risk of cancer in neighborhoods near rail yards by more than 90 percent.
“This is a completely transformative rule for cleaning the air and mitigating the effects of climate change,” said Lianne Randolph, chair of the Air Quality Council. he said before the vote on trucking rules on Friday. “We all know there are a lot of challenges, but those challenges will not be dealt with unless we step forward…if not now, then when?”
The new mandates mark a significant change in California’s approach to climate policy from two decades ago, when most environmental groups treated global warming and air quality as separate problems requiring separate solutions. At the time, the state’s climate policies had already diverted resources far From addressing local pollution to reducing carbon emissions.
Environmental justice advocates in California, among the first to Use the phrase “climate pollution,” They were among the first to argue that the two problems were Inextricably linked And you need to process it together. The new rules limiting pollution from transportation are a sign that the country is coming to terms with their point of view.
This article originally appeared in grist in https://grist.org/transportation/electrify-everything-california-regulations-trucks-trains/. Grist is an independent, non-profit media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and just futures. Learn more through grist.org