In a move that will transform California’s economy and end diesel’s decades-long dominance in goods movement, the state’s Air Resources Board today unanimously approved an ambitious, contentious mandate to shift big rigs and other trucks to zero-emissions.
California’s newest effort to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles is arguably one of the most meaningful steps the state has ever taken to clean up its severe smog and toxic diesel exhaust, reduce greenhouse gases and wean itself off fossil fuels.
The mandate is the first in the world to ban new diesel trucks and require a switch to zero-emission big rigs, garbage trucks, delivery trucks and other medium and heavy-duty vehicles.
The rules will dramatically change the commercial trucks that are driven on California’s roads, affecting about 1.8 million trucks, including ones operated by the U.S. Postal Service, FedEx, UPS and Amazon.
“Ten years from now, when we look back to this day…we can say that California has changed the world,” said air board member Gideon Kracov, who is an environmental lawyer based in Los Angeles. “We can say that California did this right.”
Starting in 2036, no new fossil-fueled medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks will be sold in the state. Large trucking companies also must convert to electric or hydrogen models by 2042. The board decided to review progress and obstacles in meeting the deadlines two and a half years from now.
Diesel-powered engines, known for their high energy efficiency and ability to carry heavy loads long distances, have dominated the nation’s goods movement since the 1950s. But the noxious fumes spewed from these trucks have for decades afflicted communities near ports, railways, freeways and warehouses. Diesel exhaust is linked to cancer and contains fine particles that can lodge in lungs, triggering heart attacks and other respiratory problems.
The move comes 25 years after California declared diesel exhaust a dangerous, toxic…
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