(The Center Square) – A decision by the Trump administration to review emissions standard goals set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is good news to trucking companies who called the mandates unachievable.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the environmental authority is reconsidering “notorious heavy-duty truck emissions standards, as well as the agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases altogether.” The EPA said it will reconsider the proposed emissions standards for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles beginning in model-year 2027.
The industry said the mandates in their current form are unrealistic given the state of battery-electric technology and the sheer lack of charging infrastructure.
Mike Kucharski, co-owner of JKC Trucking in Chicago, told The Center Square the mandates, including forcing companies to buy expensive electric trucks, would force many trucking companies to permanently close, setting off a domino effect.
“Ninety-five percent of trucking companies are small businesses that operate 10 trucks or fewer,” said Kucharski. “Complying with these mandates would push many carriers out of business causing more severe price inflation for all goods.”
The stricter emissions standards, set by the Biden administration in 2022, were aimed at removing pollutants from truck exhaust and encouraged hydrogen and battery-powered electric vehicle adoption.
“We need a proven technology because if this technology fails, the entire supply chain would be dead in the water and failure is not merely an inconvenience, it would be catastrophic,” said Kucharski.
A spokesman for the Electric Vehicle Association called the Trump administration’s decision unfortunate.
CALSTART, an organization focused on transportation decarbonization, issued a statement following the announcement.
“At a time when the world is rapidly moving toward clean and zero-emission vehicles, we cannot walk away from our progress. To do so would cede U.S. leadership in this industry to China and other countries who continue to lead the global EV race through advanced, robust policy and market investments,” the group said.
