EPA Proposal to Weaken Truck Pollution Standards Threatens Clean Air Progress

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposal to weaken limits on pollution from heavy-duty vehicles. The current standards are scheduled to require greater reductions in soot and smog-forming emissions from new trucks beginning in model year 2027. In response to the proposal to weaken the requirements, American Lung Association President and CEO Harold Wimmer issued the following statement:

“Trucks are a significant source of harmful air pollution. We are deeply disappointed that EPA would propose to weaken standards that would make new trucks cleaner and communities healthier.

“Trucks make up just a small fraction of all the vehicles on the road but generate the greatest share of harmful air pollutants. For people living in communities with heavy truck traffic, exposure to traffic-related pollution is a serious health hazard. The mixture of emissions has been linked to poor birth outcomes, reduced lung and cognitive development, development and worsening of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and increased risk of dementia, cancer and premature death. 

“Cleaning up pollution from dirty diesel trucks is a huge opportunity to improve public health across the U.S, and the public knows it. A recent poll released by the Lung Association found that 76% of voters said that tighter emission limits on heavy-duty trucks will have a positive impact on air quality.

“The Lung Association urges EPA to drop this harmful proposal, and to instead keep the current provisions in place and make sure they’re fully implemented. Everyone with lungs stands to gain from a future where trucks are cleaner and less polluting.”