The California Air Resources Board (CARB) proposes another ban to further the state’s efforts to reduce climate emissions. If passed, the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation would ban new diesel commercial trucks by 2040. The proposal comes weeks after abnormally high temperatures threatened mass blackouts in California and state leaders urged EV owners to avoid loading theirs. car during that time.
It is California’s latest attempt to become a pioneer in reducing climate emissions. The proposal points to transportation as California’s largest contributor to greenhouse gases and other forms of air pollution. The Advanced Clean Fleets regulation follows a separate ruling passed by the same council last month that sets a plan to produce 100 percent of the new cars and light trucks sold in California’s zero-emission vehicles by 2035. The new council proposal this rule expands to the sale of new medium and heavy trucks powered by diesel or petrol.
Under the proposal, trucking companies will also have to convert their fleets to zero-emission vehicles by 2042.
“It would be the next significant step in accelerating towards a zero-emission transportation system and a fairer future in California,” the proposal says.
Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
However, CARB’s recent actions have sparked public criticism. Despite the state’s efforts to reduce emissions, electric vehicle owners were given conflicting information about charging their electric vehicles in certain situations, such as during blistering weekday temperatures when access to electricity was at risk. Electric vehicle owners have been told not to charge their cars for fear of stressing the electricity grid, a request that has left some owners near fire evacuation zones wondering if they should forgo charging to save electricity or take action against the state request and load their cars to make sure they had a means to escape if necessary.
Fox News reported that CARB is expected to vote on the proposal in late October. If the proposal passes, state lawmakers would be forced to act to prepare state highways for a possible flood of electric vehicles. The decision could also drastically affect the trucking industry, which operates mainly diesel-powered trucks. Although cheap, diesel has been shown to negatively impact cancer and asthma, among other diseases.
Reducing emissions could have health benefits, according to the proposal, and could save 5,000 lives between 2024 and 2050 by reducing Californians’ exposure to greenhouse gases and air pollution.
“These prevented premature deaths and other prevented adverse health benefits are estimated to be worth more than $ 57 billion,” the proposal says.
However, there are other concerns as well. A California Trucking Association executive told CalMatters that while zero-emission trucks could improve the climate, some truckers are concerned about other impacts, such as the high cost of electric trucks and limited access to charging stations.
“We are flying blindly on some pretty big questions about the practicality of implementing this rule,” said Chris Shimoda, senior vice president of the California Trucking Association.
According to the proposal, heavy and medium-sized vehicles contribute 25% to the greenhouse gas emissions of the transport sector. CARB’s proposal says the 1.8 million trucks operating in the state represent a “disproportionately large share” of global warming contribution compared to the 30 million registered vehicles in the state.
news week contacted CARB for comment.
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