What About Truck Smog-Forming Emissions?

By Frank O’Donnell, Clean Air Watch

As many of you know, the U.S. EPA, by as soon as today, is expected to issue final rules designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from future big trucks.  This is a very big deal and something that will cause much celebration in environmental group circles.

However, I do want to remind you there is a related issue we are tracking and most interested in: smog-forming nitrogen oxides emissions from big trucks. As you may recall, 11 state and local government agencies have formally petitioned the EPA to set tougher NOx standards for big trucks. http://bit.ly/2buZsgT   Public health groups have joined in that call.

As we have learned with this summer’s numerous smog alerts, ozone is not just a California problem. We need additional tools to make sure everyone can breathe safely.

And big truck pollution is something that can and must be reduced. Indeed, without tougher truck controls, big trucks will become the biggest source of smog-forming NOx emissions in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast within the next few years.

We don’t expect EPA will respond to that state/local petition in its greenhouse rule, but we hope the agency will at least acknowledge the issue — and respond favorably to the petition in the near future.