Sierra Club Challenges EPA’s Delay on Truck Pollution Rule

The Sierra Club national is joining with other environmental groups in suing the Environmental Protecton Agency (EPA) over their delay in enforcing a regulation to monitor trucks. The 2016 rule put in place under the Obama Administration limits how many older, outdated trucks are sold in an effort to curb air pollution. Under the rule, manufacturers could only produce 300 “glider trucks”, new truck bodies with old engines, each year. Before leaving his position as head of the agency, Scott Pruitt ordered the EPA to stop enforcing the regulation.

“Delaying this important rule to curb truck pollution is a direct assault on our environment and our lungs. Trucks are one of the biggest sources of air pollution in New Jersey. Many of the same communities near airports, ports, and major highways suffer from air toxins that are a hundred times greater than air toxin standards. New Jersey is a corridor state because of our turnpike and other major highways,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “We’re going to court because this delay means more air pollution, more health impacts, and more rollbacks from the Trump Administration.”

Emissions from diesel exhaust, especially particulates, can not only cause asthma attacks in children but can lead to serious illness and death in people with respiratory problems. There are areas in New Jersey where the levels of particulates can be ten times higher than health standards in large part because of trucks. Reducing truck pollution is important, especially in urban areas.

“Whatever we can do to reduce pollution in those areas is incredibly important. When the Obama Administration made these efforts to reduce truck emissions and increase efficiency, they were working to help the people of New Jersey. Delaying this rule, meaning more air pollution, greenhouse gasses, and sickness for the people of our state,” said Jeff Tittel.

Each year, American passenger vehicles spew upwards of three trillion tons of carbon pollution into the air by burning about 121 billion gallons of gasoline. Studies show a correlation between serious cognitive decline and the very fine particles of pollution emitted by motor vehicles and other sources. Particulates called PM2.5 from the air pollution enter our noses and go to our brain. PM2.5 are fine, inhalable particles with diameters 2.5 micrometers or smaller. These particles come mainly from automobile exhaust and power plants.

“This delay is especially dangerous for states like New Jersey who suffers from major air pollution from transportation. These trucks are the oldest and dirtiest and they produce the most emissions. Scott Pruitt’s last cowardly act as head of the EPA was to delay this important rule. The Sierra Club is going to court to stop this delay. We will continue fighting against the environmental rollbacks of the Trump Administration. This is part of the Trump Administration’s arrogance and abuse of power that is threatening people who are breathing in more toxic pollution,” said Jeff Tittel, Director of the New Jersey Sierra Club. “Our air is unhealthy and delaying this rule on truck pollution is only going to make it worse, leading to more environmental and health problems.”