More than a dozen states are aiming to make 100% of new truck and bus sales zero-emission by 2050 in the largest multistate clean transportation planning initiative to date.
Under a memorandum of understanding unveiled Tuesday, 15 states and the District of Columbia will develop an action plan within six months to drive widespread deployment of zero-emissions trucks and buses. The states, which include California, New York, Colorado, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Oregon, are aiming to have 30% of all new truck and bus sales be zero emissions by 2030, in addition to the mid-century target, according to the document.
“The states are moving forward on this because the federal government isn’t,” said Paul Miller, executive director of the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, or NESCAUM. Miller’s group represents the air quality officials for the six New England states, New Jersey, and New York, and it will facilitate the development of the joint zero-emissions truck plan.
The states’ partnership follows California’s recent adoption of landmark zero-emissions truck standards, requiring all truck sales in the state to be zero-emission by 2045.
The memorandum, however, is completely voluntary and doesn’t create any binding obligations on the states.
States that signed the memorandum can adopt California’s standards as an option to increase zero-emissions trucks in their own jurisdictions, but they aren’t required to. Miller said the states will also consider options such as purchasing incentives and nonfinancial incentives such as preferred access for zero-emissions trucks to congested areas or dedicated loading zones for zero-emissions vehicles.
Major corporations lent their support for the states’ plan. Earlier this month, a number of investors and corporations such as IKEA, Etsy, PepsiCo, and Unilever urged governors to sign onto the memorandum.
“We are committed to driving a clean transportation future, with 100% of our home deliveries made in zero-emission vehicles by 2025,” said Steven Moelk, fulfillment project implementation manager at IKEA Retail U.S. “This MOU will help increase the availability of and access to medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles which are essential to helping us achieve our goals.”
Miller said the coronavirus pandemic has only underscored the need to reduce transportation emissions, especially from trucks. Even with the dramatic decrease in car traffic on the roads in the last few months as people have been sheltered in place, the Northeast region still saw exceedances of smog pollution standards, he said.
The transportation sector is also the largest greenhouse gas emitter in the country, accounting for about 28% of total U.S. emissions in 2018, according to the latest Environmental Protection Agency data.
Under the memorandum, the states will also seek to accelerate the adoption of zero-emissions trucks and buses in low-income and minority communities, which are often the most affected by pollution from diesel trucks.
