The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given the state of California permission to proceed with its own emissions standards for heavy trucks, despite pleas from industry to allow only a single nationwide standard.

“Under the Clean Air Act, California has longstanding authority to address pollution from cars and trucks. Today’s announcement allows the state to take additional steps in reducing their transportation emissions through these new regulatory actions,” EPA administrator Michael S. Regan said on Friday.

Specifically, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) was granted two waivers and authorization requests. Among them is the 2018 Heavy-Duty Warranty Amendments, which extend emission warranty periods for 2022 and subsequent model year diesel engines and vehicles. And the Advanced Clean Trucks regulation, which requires manufacturers to produce and sell increasing quantities of medium- and heavy-duty zero-emissions trucks in California.

The American Trucking Associations (ATA) dubbed the decision “damaging and unrealistic.”

“By granting California’s waiver for its so-called ‘advanced clean trucks’ rule, the EPA is handing over the keys as a national regulator,” ATA president and CEO Chris Spear said. “This isn’t the United States of California, and in order to mollify a never satisfied fringe environmental lobby by allowing the state to proceed with these technologically infeasible rules on unworkable and unrealistic timelines, the EPA is sowing the ground for a future supply chain crisis.
“As we learned since the pandemic, our supply chain is fragile, and even small disruptions can cause huge problems nationally and globally, and by allowing this incredibly disruptive, ill-conceived regime to move forward, EPA is creating a terrible mess for the hard-working men and women of our industry and the country to clean up.”

Non-profit CALSTART, on the other hand, welcomed the announcement.

“We applaud the EPA for granting the Advanced Clean Clean Trucks (ACT) waiver and recognizing California’s long-standing authority to fight climate change and protect public health. Today’s action will spur the growth of the zero-emission truck & charger industry and create thousands of new jobs. CALSTART’s vast member network stands ready to work with policymakers and fleets in California and the other six states that have adopted ACT so far to ensure successful implementation,” said John Boesel, president, and CEO of CALSTART.