This morning in Mott Haven, a neighborhood in the South Bronx, tens of thousands of New Yorkers — more than 95 percent of whom are people of color — woke up and breathed in air thick with vehicle exhaust. Hundreds of trucks drive through here daily, to and from the enormous food distribution center Hunts Point Produce Market, as well as other nearby warehouses, shipping facilities and waste transfer stations.
The neighborhood — sometimes nicknamed Asthma Alley — has some of the most polluted air in the country, leaving residents at increased risk not only for lung disease and strokes from diesel fumes and other pollutants but also for asthma. In 2015, Mott Haven and the neighboring Melrose had the highest asthma hospitalization rate among children ages 5 to 14 in New York City.
Mott Haven is not unique: There are hundreds of neighborhoods like it in the shadows of major highways, ports and warehouse districts around the country, and more than 45 million people in the United States live within 300 feet of a major transportation facility or roadway that exposes them to potentially hazardous levels of pollution.
It’s because of communities like these, where the suffering is so dramatically disproportionate to the often wealthier neighborhoods nearby, that during his first week in office, President Biden issued an executive order committing to confront the climate crisis, “hold polluters accountable” and “deliver environmental justice in communities all across America.” It signaled a significant commitment and was reaffirmed by another executive order in April, promising to “better protect overburdened communities from pollution and environmental harms.”
In one attempt to fulfill these pledges, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a new rule in April to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in trucks manufactured and sold starting in model year 2027, a vitally important move, since trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for nearly 30 percent of the country’s road-transportation-related emissions. The goal was to create the conditions to ensure that a quarter of new heavy trucks sold in the United States are electric by 2032.
But the rule is too weak: It would leave the United States far behind other nations and even the state of California, where truck manufacturers have already agreed to accept a plan to ban the sale of new diesel big rigs by 2036.
There’s still time for the administration to revise the proposed language for its rule to align with California standards, making good on Mr. Biden’s promises and dramatically improving the health and quality of life of millions of Americans. But so far, his administration seems to be nervous about sealing the deal.
The trucking industry has pushed back hard on the proposed rule. Despite publicly supporting clean trucks policies, companies like Volvo and Daimler and trade associations like the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association called it “unworkable” and “unrealistic and unachievable,” threatening that their “customers will not purchase zero-emission trucks.” Opponents have also falsely claimed that a rule that would align with California standards would hurt consumers by driving up the price of goods. In fact, electric trucks have lower operating costs and fewer maintenance requirements, and are not subject to fluctuating fuel prices. A new electric delivery truck can cost 34 percent less than a diesel truck over the life of the vehicle.
With the election less than a year out, the Biden team is likely sensitive to how swing voters will read the industry’s pushback. Some news stories have incorrectly painted the rule as a mandate forcing freight companies to quickly buy new electric trucks. Perhaps smelling blood in the water, the House passed the Choice in Automobile Retail Sales Act earlier this month, which would prohibit the E.P.A. from issuing emissions rules that limit the availability of new vehicles based on engine type. And though big truck manufacturers agreed this summer to sunset sales of diesel big rigs in California (the nation’s largest market), the California Trucking Association has sued to block a California clean trucks rule that takes effect on Jan. 1, 2024.
Truck manufacturers do have a legitimate concern when it comes to the lack of infrastructure to charge electric vehicles, the speed with which recharging infrastructure can be installed and how quickly the trucks can be charged. Certainly, there is work to do to get the needed infrastructure ready. But recent research highlights how trucks actually need far less infrastructure than previous estimates assumed. We don’t need charging infrastructure everywhere, all at once. Rather, by clustering charging investments in specific hubs and corridors first and growing from there, the national network can grow to meet the need.
What’s more, most of the first zero-emission trucks on the road will not be long-haul big rigs: They will be regional service and delivery trucks that charge at a base overnight. For the heavier trucks, charging plazas are planned or under construction in freight hubs and along the key corridors. Truckers may soon be able to recharge their vehicles in 30 minutes, the same length of time they’re required to stop for a break.
A strong final rule should not feel like a tall order heading into an election year. Eighty-one members of Congress have called for stronger standards, along with health and environmental groups representing millions of people. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee chair Tom Carper, Alex Padilla and 13 other senators have outlined how federal funds can be directed to build out charging infrastructure for trucks, strategically focused on key ports and communities.
Manufacturers are already building clean trucks. California is years ahead of schedule on its standards, and 10 other states have adopted very similar standards.
The Biden administration must deliver what I believe is the most important step to rectify environmental injustice that he can take in this presidency. If it can muster up the courage, this is eminently possible.
Andrea Marpillero-Colomina is an urbanist with GreenLatinos, a faculty member at The New School and a member of the Department of Transportation’s advisory committee on transportation equity.
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