Truck Owners, Drivers Air Emission Complaints
As state air regulators get set to vote next month on sweeping regulations to reduce diesel emissions from big-rig trucks, major fleet owners and truck operators are stepping up their campaign to postpone the deadlines, citing the recent financial crisis.
Late last month, the California Air Resources Board released its final version of the rules that it said would prevent 9,400 premature deaths. In-state and out-of-state owners of an estimated 900,000 trucks would be required to install diesel exhaust filters on their rigs starting in 2010 and replacing older diesel engines over a 10-year span from 2012 through 2022.
Agency staff estimated it would cost truck owners $5 billion to make the transition to cleaner-burning diesel engines, but also said that about $1 billion in state funds would be made available to help out truck owners who can’t afford conversion costs. But that’s not enough for truck and fleet operators. They say the financial crisis has made it nearly impossible to get loans for diesel filters or for new big rigs, which typically start at $100,000.
Even the grant monies that would come from the state require matching loans from truck owners. “It used to be just our smaller member companies that had trouble getting loans to keep their trucks in compliance with environmental laws,” said Kristin Power, vice president of government relations for the California Grocers Association.“Now even the major chains looking for capital to upgrade their fleets can’t get the capital to do so.”
Power said her members are seeking two major changes to the regulation: extending the deadlines to give more time for the transition to new diesel engines and making more state funds available to assist with the conversions. But getting more state funds to be set aside may be difficult given the looming budget deficit, estimated at more than $10 billion for the current fiscal year.
“That’s what makes it even more essential to stretch out the deadlines, so we can get over this rough time in our economy and give our truckers the ability to meet this regulation without being forced out of business,” said Julie Sauls, spokeswoman for the California Trucking Association.
Air Resources Board officials are sticking firm to the deadlines, calling the regulation essential to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency timelines to reduce diesel emissions. But they say there is some wriggle room on funding.
“Flexible funding options exist and the ARB is working to create more so that this regulation can be fully implemented at the lowest cost and we can all benefit from vastly improved air quality,” said board Chairman Mary Nichols in a statement announcing the final regulations.
