A resolution to nullify the Environmental Protection Agency’s new trucking emissions standards is likely headed toward a presidential veto.
The House of Representatives voted 221-203 Tuesday to pass a Senate resolution to halt the EPA rule designed to strengthen heavy-duty truck emissions standards, beginning with model-year 2027 vehicles.
S.J. Res. 11 Passed – 221 Yeas, 203 Nays
— Republican Cloakroom (@RepCloakroom) May 23, 2023
The joint resolution had squeaked through the Senate, 50-49, on April 26. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein was absent.
President Joe Biden plans to veto the measure, his office said last month when it passed the Senate. Biden has vetoed only two other measures during his presidency.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The EPA’s 1,153-page rule would reduce heavy-duty truck nitrogen oxide, or NOx, emissions by more than 40% by 2040 and more than 50% by 2045, the agency said in January. It covers a broader range of engine operating conditions than today’s standards, and requires the standards to be met for longer.
“Heavy-duty vehicles and engines contribute to pollutants that threaten public health,” according to the April statement.
“Over time, the final rule will prevent hundreds of premature deaths, thousands of childhood asthma cases, and millions of lost school-days every year for the tens of millions of Americans who live, work, and go to school near roadways with high truck volume including truck freight routes,” the policy statement said.
Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, warned in a statement that requiring the adoption of equipment “that has historically led to major engine reliability issues” under an unrealistic timeline would devastate the nation’s supply chains.
Spencer called the regulations “misguided.”
“Truckers care about clean air as much as anyone else,” Spencer said, “but are also on the front lines of the supply chain with over 70% of America’s freight relying exclusively on trucking.”
