Photo: Spencer Platt Getty Images via Agence France-Presse Heavy goods vehicles represent 25% of GHG emissions from the transport sector, which itself is the largest source of emissions in the United States.
France Media Agency in Washington
10:44 a.m.
- United States
The US government announced on Friday that it had finalized new standards aimed at reducing polluting emissions from trucks, to allow residents living near highways to breathe cleaner air and contribute to the objectives of reducing greenhouse gas emissions of the country.
These measures are in addition to those announced last week on car emissions, the aim of which is to accelerate the transition to electric.
Heavy goods vehicles represent 25% of greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector, which itself is the country's largest source of emissions.
The new regulations announced Thursday concern heavy goods vehicles (trucks, buses, etc.) built from 2027 until 2032.
These are “the strongest national greenhouse gas emissions standards in history for heavy-duty trucks,” said Michael Regan, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Concretely, it will be up to manufacturers to choose which technologies they adopt to achieve the set emissions reduction objectives: hybrid, plug-in hybrid, electric or hydrogen vehicles.
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More time for builders
Compared to the proposed standard that had been made, and which has in the meantime been submitted to public consultation as required, the finalized rules leave more time for manufacturers to deploy these technologies in the first years.
The new standards should help avoid the emission of a billion tons of greenhouse gases, according to the EPA.
“Heavy-duty trucks are essential to transporting goods and services across our country,” said Michael Regan. “They are also significant contributors to pollution from the transport sector, emissions that fuel climate change and degrade air quality. »
According to the EPA, approximately 72 million people live near freight routes used by trucks in the United States, often people of color or those with low incomes.
The result of these new standards will be “cleaner air and better health,” said Paul Billings of the American Lung Association.
The EPA had previously announced that it had put in place new standards tackling nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from trucks, gases known to cause asthma and respiratory illnesses in particular.
The Biden government is pushing to accelerate the electrification of vehicles. He promised the development of the network of charging stations, thanks to funds from a major infrastructure renovation law adopted in 2021. But since then, only seven terminals have been built, according to the Washington Post .