Those big truck drivers going up and down Interstates 35 and 40 in Oklahoma are getting a break from the EPA when it comes to greenhouse gas standards. The 2018 start date of the requirements has been delayed.
The EPA faced a deadline on Thursday to respond to a lawsuit by the Truck Trailer Manufacturers Association which tried to stop the agency’s provision to change the standards.
The EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires up to a 25 percent reduction in carbon emissions for tractor-trailers over the coming ten years. Other trucks such as school buses and delivery vehicles will fall under smaller reductions.
While some big manufacturers supported the new requirements, others did not and filed petitions and lawsuits for a rollback of the regulation. Makers of truck trailers and glider kits say the EPA rules will harm their business. The kits are essentially new truck frames combined with refurbished engines and are 25 percent cheaper than a new truck. But the manufacturers argue the Clean Air Act does not apply to glider kits and trailers because they are not vehicles.
“In light of the significant issues raised, the agency has decided to revisit the Phase 2 trailer and glider provisions,” EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. “We intend to initiate a rulemaking process that incorporates the latest technical data and is wholly consistent with our authority under the Clean Air Act.”
One of those opposed to the EPA change is Pat Quinn, head of the Heavy Duty Fuel Efficiency Leadership Group which includes Waste Management Inc. Just recently, Waste Management opened its 100th CNG refueling station in the nation and it is in Oklahoma City.