This week the California Air Resources Board adopted a new rule requiring truck manufacturers to transition from diesel trucks and vans to electric zero-emission trucks by 2024. CARB wants all new trucks sold in California to be zero-emission by 2045.
The rule targets the pollution created by commercial truck traffic at the state's ports, railyards, distribution centers, and on the major highways where freight carriers travel. Officials in Governor Gavin Newsom's adminstration claim those areas are often right next to neighborhoods, especially minority, low-income neighborhoods. People living in those communities are thought be more susceptible to the health hazards associated with airborne pollutants.
"California is an innovation juggernaut that is going electric. We are showing the world that we can move goods, grow our economy and finally dump dirty diesel," said Jared Blumenfeld, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection.
Regulators point to strides made in controlling emissions from passenger cars and trucks, but insist that commercial diesel trucks haven't made the same progress.
“For decades, while the automobile has grown cleaner and more efficient, the other half of our transportation system has barely moved the needle on clean air,” said CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols. “Diesel vehicles are the workhorses of the economy, and we need them to be part of the solution to persistent pockets of dirty air in some of our most disadvantaged communities. Now is the time – the technology is here and so is the need for investment.”