Ahead of Vote, Stakeholders Say EPA Standards Would Cause “Undue Burden and Higher Prices for Every American Consumer”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Senate will vote on U.S. Senator Deb Fischer’s (R-Neb.) legislation to overturn President Biden’s aggressive EPA regulation on heavy-duty vehicle emissions. The regulation would devastate the trucking industry, raise costs for consumers, and incentivize older, less efficient trucks to stay on the road. 

Senator Fischer led the introduction of the legislation in February. You can read more about that effort and background on the issue here.

Stakeholder Support:

“If small business truckers can’t afford the new, compliant trucks, they’re going to stay with older, less efficient trucks, or leave the industry entirely. Once again, EPA has largely ignored the warnings and concerns raised by truckers in this latest rule,” said Todd Spencer, President of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA).

“ATA believes we must set achievable and realistic targets along the way to our shared goal of zero emissions. To that end, we support Senator Fischer’s efforts to shine a light on the significant issues with the roadmap currently being drafted by the administration. We hope to continue working with her, and other champions in Congress, coalition partners in industry and federal regulators to set and achieve realistic emissions goals for our industry,” said Bill Sullivan, Executive Vice President of Advocacy for the American Trucking Associations.

“TCA supports Senator Deb Fischer’s resolution to overturn the EPA’s unrealistic emissions standards and hopes to see the measure successful on the Senate floor. Truckload carriers and engine manufacturers are united in their concern regarding the feasibility, reliability, and affordability of the EPA’s unmanageable timeline for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles. It’s more important now than ever that Congress acts to deal with this matter at the federal level, given the recent decision by EPA to shift responsibility to California to set de-facto standards for the country – imposing regulations on Americans they were not elected to represent. TCA knows that we need a common-sense approach to tackling the challenges brought by emissions reduction and Sen. Fischer’s resolution is a positive step in that direction,” said Jim Ward, President of the Truckload Carriers Association.

“NTTC applauds Senator Fischer protecting America’s tank truck industry. Bulk transporters respect our planet and utilize leading-edge technologies to make trucks cleaner and more efficient than ever before. However, the Administration’s new emissions standards are costly with unobtainable timelines with the current available technology, causing undue burden and higher prices for every American consumer. The trucking industry has made substantial advancements over decades to improve emissions. NTTC is here to work with industry, regulators, and the Administration to be part of an obtainable solution as we continue to embrace technology for a cleaner tomorrow,” said Ryan Streblow, President & CEO of the National Tank Truck Carriers (NTTC).

“The prior years of over-ambitious emission standards have already created unreliable equipment for many years and even driven one of the primary engine manufacturers out of the on-road industry. These ongoing emission systems failures are devastating,” said Danny Schnautz, President of Clark Freight Lines (Pasadena, Texas).

Background:

The EPA finalized its rule on new emissions standards for heavy duty vehicles on December 20, 2022. The rule’s new standards cover nitrogen oxides (NOx) and other air pollutants including particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide (CO). The rule would also change requirements regarding emission control systems and emission-related warranties.

The EPA estimated the technology required to meet the new rule’s standards will cost between $2,568 and $8,304 per vehicle. The American Truck Dealers Association estimates it is more likely a $42,000 increase per truck. In total, the EPA projects the associated costs of this new regulation on the country could reach $55 billion over the lifetime of the program.

The EPA’s regulation would be challenging to implement and make new, compliant trucks cost-prohibitive. By increasing the cost of a new truck, the regulation actually incentivizes keeping older, higher-emitting trucks in service longer. It would also likely force many "mom & pop" commercial trucking operations out of business while encouraging larger trucking operations to pass these higher costs onto consumers. 

Adding new financial burdens on the trucking industry would increase the cost of any product transported by trucks, including food, clothing, and other commodities.

A one-pager on the legislation can be found here.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.