EPA awards $135 million to California to phase out big diesel trucks
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[December 12, 2024]
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is awarding
$135 million in grants to fund 13 projects in California to help the
state wean off fossil fuels and phase out big rigs that run on diesel.
The money will go to the state transportation department, cities and
school districts, among others, to purchase 455 zero-emission vehicles
to replace diesel-powered trucks, school buses and other large vehicles.
It is part an EPA program that provides a total of $735 million to 70
projects across the country, officials announced Wednesday.
The grants are paid for by the 2022 climate law approved by
congressional Democrats. The law, officially known as the Inflation
Reduction Act, includes nearly $400 billion in spending and tax credits
to accelerate the expansion of clean energy such as wind and solar
power, speeding the nation’s transition away from the oil, coal and
natural gas that largely cause climate change.
The funds, to be delivered in early 2025, “will reduce air pollution,
improve health outcomes in nearby communities, and advance the campaign
to tackle climate change,” EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator
Martha Guzman said in a statement.
California and local agencies will have the next two to three years to
implement the grants for zero-emission trucks.
Nationwide, the transportation sector contributes the largest share of
greenhouse gas emissions annually, according to the EPA, with medium-
and heavy-duty trucks contributing nearly a quarter of those emissions.
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Trucks line up to enter a Port of Oakland shipping terminal on Nov.
10, 2021, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)
 Heavy-duty vehicles make up about 3%
of vehicles on the road in California, but they generate more than
half of nitrogen oxides and fine-particle diesel pollution,
according to the California Air Resources Board. That’s because
these trucks have diesel engines that, while more powerful, produce
more pollution than gasoline engines. They also travel many more
miles than passenger vehicles.
California is trying to rid itself of fossil fuels, passing new
rules in recent years to phase out fossil fuel-powered cars, trucks,
trains and lawn equipment in the nation’s most populous state. But
those rules still require waivers from the EPA, which typically sets
standards for emissions from passenger cars, trucks and other
vehicles.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, in anticipation of the
incoming presidency of Donald Trump, traveled to Washington urge the
Biden administration to grant waivers to eight climate rules,
including those on zero-emission vehicles and emission standards for
pollutants. The issues have been targeted in the past by
President-elect Trump.
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