State air board takes aim at diesel pollution
State air pollution regulators Monday proposed rules that would require the owners of some 300,000 trucks to install soot filters or replace dirty engines.
The rules would cost the trucking industry billions of dollars but save thousands of lives, the California Air Resources Board says.
"Trucks are one of the biggest, if not the biggest, sources of diesel pollution in the state," said Tony Brasil, an air board section manager who oversaw the rule development.
A trucking industry representative said she fears the proposal will force many truckers out of business.
"We are struggling with it and looking for ways to reduce emissions without crippling goods movement in California," said Julie Sauls, spokeswoman and lobbyist for the California Trucking Association.
The proposed rules would target pre-2007 model trucks, requiring owners to install soot filters -- estimated to cost $10,000 apiece -- by the end of 2010.
By 2015, just about all trucks would have to operate as cleanly as those manufactured in 2010, Brasil said. Truckers would need to retrofit older models or, in some cases, purchase new engines in order to comply, he said.
The proposal would cost the industry between $3.6 billion and $5.5 billion between 2010 and 202l, according to state estimates.
Diesel pollution has been linked to early death and lung cancer, heart disease and asthma attacks, among other maladies.
Air board officials estimate the rule would prevent as many as 10,000 early deaths and save Californians some $500 million in medical expenses by 2020.
Diesel soot is a significant contributor to the Inland area's fine-particle pollution, which has exceeded federal health standards for decades.
Sauls said the rules would put truckers on an overly aggressive schedule to replace their trucks, which cost between $100,000 and $150,000 apiece. The rules would devalue the market for used trucks, so truckers would have to come up with more money to buy new models, she said.
The air board is expected to vote on the rule in October. Several public workshops are planned throughout the state in the meantime.
