New document: EPA proposes stricter emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles

The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing stricter standards to reduce greenhouse gases and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from model year (MY) 2027 and later heavy-duty vehicles and engines, and is seeking input on whether to issue even stricter rules in the future.

If finalized, the EPA estimates that the standards could cut truck NOx emissions by up to 60 percent in 2045, leading to as many as 2,100 fewer premature deaths, 6,700 fewer hospital admissions and emergency department visits, 78,000 fewer lost days of work, 18,000 fewer cases of asthma onset in children, and 1.1 fewer lost school days for children.

The proposal, which the EPA will soon seek public comment on after publishing it in the Federal Register, would tighten NOx standards for MY 2027 and later year trucks.

It also includes separate stricter emissions standards for MY 2027 and later medium-duty commercial vehicles, including certain delivery vehicles.

And the proposal also floats greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles starting as early as MY 2030 that would be much stronger than existing MY 2027 limits.

“These new standards will drastically cut dangerous pollution by harnessing recent advancements in vehicle technologies from across the trucking industry as it advances toward a zero-emissions transportation future,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a statement.