Community groups express disappointment over CARB’s withdrawal of clean truck and air rules
Anticipating President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) abandoned environmental regulations that would have required cleaner locomotives and phased out diesel trucks, leaving community groups disappointed.
California’s Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) rule, adopted by CARB in 2023, was set to phase-out diesel trucks, banning new fossil-fuel truck sales by 2036 and requiring large fleets to transition to electric or hydrogen models by 2042.
CARB Chairwoman Liane Randolph told CalMatters earlier this week that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) couldn’t act on approving the state’s waiver and authorization request. She says withdrawing the waivers allows them to maintain control over the rulemaking process.
Advocates argue these regulations are critical for reducing air pollution, improving public health and addressing the climate crisis.
Following CARB’s decision, the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice (PC4EJ) said in an official statement they were “deeply disappointed by the waiver withdrawal” and criticized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for “inaction” that will harm “frontline families and worsen environmental racism.”
Alicia Aguayo, PC4EJ’s spokeswoman, said despite CARB's rollback, her group will keep pushing for all-electric.
“The industry is bringing all these toxic emissions into our neighborhoods, and so I think, yeah, it's, it's kind of like the stakes have just gotten higher for us,” Aguayo told The Frontline Observer.
While community groups like PC4EJ work to improve environmental policies and health disparities in the Inland Empire, the Western States Trucking Association (WSTA) is suing CARB over the ACF. CARB says they anticipate more legal challenges to come after Trump’s inauguration next week.
WSTA Spokesperson Sean Edgar said despite the group’s ongoing opposition to CARB’s rulemaking, truckers feel relief and vindication. “It doesn’t appear that in the very near future that this electric truck mandate is going to happen,” Edgar said. “Truckers objected [the ACF] and now it seems like [rulemaking] is going to be slowing down which hopefully will allow the technology a little bit more time to evolve.”
CARB may suspend new vehicle rulemaking for the next four years, instead relying on voluntary industry deals. If that happens, Edgar encourages CARB to look at biomethane as a possible option.
This story includes reporting from CalMatters and KVCR
Alejandro Lazo
Anthony Victoria