EPA Gives California Green Light To Phase Out Diesel Trucks
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently approved California’s set of rules pertaining to phasing out diesel trucks across the state. California needed approval from the agency because their rules were “significantly more ambitious,” than the EPA’s current requirements, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The EPA’s decision allows California — and other states that may implement similar rules — to require vehicle manufacturers to produce and sell an increased number of zero-emissions or electric trucks in the state.
“The rule under the Air Resources Board called Advanced Clean Trucks sets new sales requirements for truck manufacturers. Beginning in 2024, companies will have to sell increasing percentages of zero-emission trucks, buses and vans, eventually reaching a target of all-electric or hydrogen fuel-cell truck sales by 2045.”
Sacramento Bee
The new requirements take California’s “green” objectives to a whole new level. Last year, the state announced a rule banning the sale of new gas-powered passenger vehicles by 2035. The requirements make exceptions for hybrid vehicles, but this kind of car can only make up 20 percent of a manufacturer’s sales in the state. This new rule applies to various kinds of trucks, including box trucks and semitrailers.
“The new truck standards are aimed at companies that make trucks and those that own large quantities of them. Companies owning 50 or more trucks will have to report information to the state about how they use these trucks to ship goods and provide shuttle services. Manufacturers will have to sell a higher percentage of zero-emission vehicles starting in 2024. Depending on the class of truck, zero-emission ones will have to make up 40% to 75% of sales by 2035.”
AP News
California’s green initiatives cause concern for many residents who already experience rolling electricity blackouts due to the state’s heavy reliance on unreliable, renewable energy sources. The wild climate ambition stifles innovation and prevents industries from choosing clean energy sources at their own pace.
Many also note that there are many drawbacks to switching an entire economy over to electric vehicles. The cost, mining process, slave or child labor to obtain materials used in EV batteries, and carbon which is emitted during the manufacturing process, are all serious concerns that have not been addressed by the climate crusaders.
“Mining raw materials like lithium, cobalt, and nickel is labor-intensive, requires chemicals and enormous amounts of water—frequently from areas where water is scarce—and can leave contaminants and toxic waste behind. 60% of the world’s cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where questions about human rights violations such as child labor continue to arise.”
MIT Climate Portal
As a result of these lengthy and questionable processes to retrieve the materials necessary to create an EV battery, many electric vehicles leave the production line having already “emitted” more carbon dioxide than a standard gas-powered vehicle has after driving 2,500 miles.
If these are the results and negative climate impacts for an average, midsized sedan — what would the consequences of creating solely electric semitrailers be?
