Truck Pollution Rule Strengthened by EPA

The EPA on Friday finalized a rule strengthening pollution protections on heavy trucks and buses. The new limits on greenhouse gas pollution will have the added effect of reducing deadly particulate and lung-harming nitrogen oxide (also known as NOx) pollution. The agency estimates the rule will prevent 1 billion metric tons of climate pollution from being released, which leads to $13 billion in benefits across the country in avoided deaths, hospitalizations, and missed work days. Those benefits will be most impactful in low-income and communities of color who are disproportionately likely to live near highways, in part because of the racist siting of interstate highways through communities of color.

“Reducing emissions from our heavy-duty vehicles means cleaner air and less pollution. It means safer and more vibrant communities. It means lower fuel and maintenance costs for truck owners and operators. And it means healthier Americans,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said. (AP, Washington Post $, Axios, NPR, New York Times $, The Verge, The Hill, CNN, Politico Pro $, Heatmap $)