SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced settlements with two interstate trucking companies over claims of violating the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Truck and Bus Regulation. The companies, Capurro Trucking and Republic Services, operate diesel-fueled heavy-duty trucks in California, among other states, and failed to install controls to reduce pollution, upgrade model year engines, or verify that the trucks complied with state rules. The EPA brought these enforcement actions under the Clean Air Act. Capurro Trucking paid a civil penalty of $119,162, and Republic Services, comprised of 30 entities, paid a civil penalty of $100,000, to resolve EPA’s respective violation claims against the companies.
“National truck fleets operating within California need to comply with our state’s truck and bus rule that regulates dangerous air pollution,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Administrator Martha Guzman. “Holding companies accountable protects the environment and public health, particularly among overburdened California communities that are bearing the brunt of pollution from diesel-fueled, heavy-duty trucks.”
Diesel emissions from trucks are one of California’s largest sources of fine particle pollution, or soot, which is linked to a variety of health issues including asthma, impaired lung development in children, and cardiovascular effects in adults. About 625,000 trucks are registered outside of the state but operate in California and are subject to the rule. Many of these vehicles are older models and emit high amounts of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, a precursor to ozone, which is another air pollutant that is responsible for poor air quality in California.
The California Truck and Bus Regulation has been an essential part of the state’s federally enforceable plan to attain cleaner air since 2012. The rule requires trucking companies to upgrade vehicles they own to meet specific performance standards for emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter and to verify compliance of vehicles they hire or dispatch. Since January 1, 2023, all vehicles subject to the rule that travel in California have been required to have 2010 model year engines or equivalent emissions.
In April 2023, the California Air Resources Board approved a rule that requires a phased-in transition toward the use of zero-emission medium-and-heavy duty vehicles. Known as Advanced Clean Fleets, the new rule helps put California on a path towards fully transitioning the trucks that travel across the state to zero-emissions technology by 2045. The rule is expected to generate $26.5 billion in health savings from reduced asthma attacks, emergency room visits and respiratory illnesses. In addition, CARB believes that fleet owners will save an estimated $48 billion in their total operating costs from the transition through 2050.
In July 2023, CARB and truck and engine manufacturers announced an unprecedented partnership to meet clean air goals. The new Clean Truck Partnership agreement offers flexibility to address public health of Californians and the needs of truck and engine manufacturers that build the technology required for the transition to zero-emissions.
For more information on reporting possible violations of environmental laws and regulations, visit EPA’s enforcement reporting website.
For more information on California’s Truck and Bus rule, visit CARB Truck and Bus Regulation.
Learn more about the Clean Air Act.
Learn more about EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. Connect with us on Facebook and on X.
from EPA News Releases https://ift.tt/ruW78Zq