Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved waivers for two California clean vehicle regulations that will allow the state to significantly reduce pollution from passenger cars and heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs):
“These vital EPA waivers are a win-win for Californians, cutting harmful greenhouse gas and nitrogen oxide emissions, while unlocking tens of millions of dollars in public health benefits. Thanks to these waivers, our state will continue setting the standard for a zero-emissions future.
“The Advanced Clean Cars II rule will significantly accelerate California’s progress toward our urgent 2035 goal of exclusively zero-emissions passenger car sales, and the heavy-duty vehicles rule will keep harmful, toxic pollution out of the air we breathe. I will keep fighting to secure approval for the rest of California’s outstanding waiver requests to protect our communities and advance our leadership in combating the climate crisis.”
Under the Clean Air Act, California is afforded the ability to adopt emissions requirements independent from EPA’s regulations to meet its significant air quality challenges. The state must seek a waiver from EPA for new motor vehicle emission standards. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) requested both approved waivers.
With the federal waiver for the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII) rule, California can fully implement its regulation that would move the state toward 100 percent sales of zero-emission options by 2035. A second waiver was granted for the Heavy-Duty Omnibus regulation, which will drastically reduce smog-forming emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide, harmful pollutants that embed in people’s lungs and bloodstreams and are tied to serious health issues. The approvals will bring significant public health and pollution reduction benefits by decarbonizing the transportation sector.
ACC II requires an increasing number of clean vehicles be delivered for sale each year. By 2035, all vehicle sales must be of zero-emission vehicles, which includes the option to sell plug-in hybrid vehicles. CARB projects that the ACC II program will reduce smog and soot-causing pollutants — including fine particulate matter (PM2.5) as well as oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC), which are precursors of ground-level ozone — as well as reduce greenhouse gases and toxic air pollutants. The regulation will save drivers of clean vehicles $7,500 in maintenance and fuel costs over the first 10 years of use and save Californians $13 billion in health costs related to respiratory illnesses, according to CARB.
CARB projects that its low-NOx HDV standards will protect communities from dangerous NOx pollution that mixes in the atmosphere to form ground-level ozone, commonly called “smog,” which can lead to costly and harmful health impacts such as increased illnesses, asthma attacks, lost days of work or school, and hospitalizations. It will cut heavy-duty NOx emissions by 90 percent, overhaul engine testing procedures, and further extend engine warranties. The expected public health benefits from reduced illnesses and other improvements are $23 billion, according to CARB.
Senator Padilla has consistently fought for emissions reductions across the transportation and freight sectors. Earlier this year, Padilla successfully pushed the Administration to launch a National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy to guide the national deployment of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty freight transportation vehicle (ZE-MHDV) charging and fueling infrastructure, which followed his efforts to call on the Joint Office to prioritize the deployment of ZE-MHDV as part of its core mission.
Additionally, Padilla applauded the EPA’s release of the strongest national greenhouse gas standards in history for HDV emissions to begin in model year 2027, following a seriesof efforts he led. He also applauded the Biden-Harris Administration’s announcement of the first-ever national goal to transition to a zero-emissions freight sector for the truck, rail, aviation, and marine industries, along with a commitment to develop a national zero-emissions freight strategy.