John Petro
Dirty Diesel: California moving to regulate trucks
California may become a national leader in clearing the air of harmful diesel emissions. The California Air Resources Board will vote this week on whether trucks will be required to be retrofitted with a "diesel trap" or to be retired.
The LA Times article focuses on the health impacts of diesel emissions:
"State officials project that the new rule would save 9,400 lives between 2010, when it takes effect, and 2025. With tens of thousands of hospital admissions linked to air pollution, Californians would save up to $68 billion in healthcare costs in the first 15 years, according to economists for the air board."
You can expect a fight between California and the American Trucking Associations, who has fought other clean truck regulations in California.
The Air Resources Board says that there will be $1 billion in funding opportunities for truck owners to meet the new requirements, which are estimated to cost $5.5 billion. Earlier this year Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a fee that would have been imposed on cargo containers entering California ports. The fee would have raised an estimated $500 million annually for clean air technologies. Although the fee wasn't intended specifically for the regulation, a similar fee could be pursued to fund grants for truck owners to go toward retrofits and newer, cleaner trucks.
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Posted at 12:40 PM, Dec 11, 2008 in
Environmental Justice
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