Proposed Rule and Related Materials for Control of Air Pollution from New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards

March 07, 2022

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(Environmental Protection Agency) On March 3, 2022, EPA Administrator Regan signed a proposed rule that would set new, more stringent standards to reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in model year (MY) 2027. The proposed standards would significantly reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty gasoline and diesel engines and set more stringent greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for certain commercial vehicle categories. This proposal is consistent with President Biden’s Executive Order, “Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks” and would ensure the heavy-duty vehicles and engines that drive American commerce are as clean as possible while charting a path to advance zero-emission vehicles in the heavy-duty fleet.

The proposal also includes amendments regarding the confidentiality of certain information submitted to EPA for engines, vehicles, and equipment subject to emission standards and other requirements under the CAA. In addition, the proposal includes other limited amendments to the regulations that implement our air pollutant emission standards for other sectors (e.g., light-duty vehicles, marine diesel engines, locomotives, various types of nonroad engines, vehicles, and equipment).

EPA encourages public input into this rulemaking and will hold a virtual public hearing for this rule. The date for this hearing will be announced on this webpage in the near future.

Proposed Rule (pdf) (March 2022)

Rule History

Advance Notice of Proposed Rule: Control of Air Pollution from New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine Standards

Additional Resources

Fact sheets
- Heavy-Duty 2027 and Beyond: Clean Trucks Proposed Rulemaking (pdf) (March 2022, EPA-420-F-22-007)
- - Transportation and Environmental Justice (pdf) (March 2022, EPA-420-F-22-008)
  - Proposed Confidentiality Determinations for Certain Information Related to Engines, Vehicles and Equipment (pdf) (March 2022, EPA-420-F-22-009)
- Draft Regulatory Impact Analysis (RIA) (pdf) (March 2022, EPA-420-D-22-001)
- Draft Technical Support Document (TSD) (pdf) (February 2022, EPA-420-D-22-002)
- Redline Version of EPA’s Proposed Regulatory Amendments (pdf) (February 2022)
- Supporting Testing, Research, and Modeling READ MORE

EPA Proposes Stronger Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles to Promote Clean Air, Protect Communities, and Support Transition to Zero-Emissions Future (Environmental Protection Agency)

CLEAN TRUCKING: (Politic's Morning Energy)

EVEN NEARER-TO-ZERO: TAKING A LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE OF THE EPA’S PROPOSED FUTURE EMISSIONS STANDARDS FOR HEAVY-DUTY TRUCKS (Diesel Technology Forum)

E.P.A. to Tighten Tailpipe Rules for the Biggest Polluters on the Road -- For the first time since 2001, the government is setting more stringent limits on pollution from trucks, vans, and buses that harms human health. (New York Times)

EPA Aims to Cut Toxic Emissions From Commercial Trucks -- Proposals set to take effect in 2027 would tighten nitrogen-oxide standards for trucks and buses—a move industry says will raise costs (Wall Street Journal)

Biden administration moves to cut smog-forming pollution from heavy trucks -- The Environmental Protection Agency proposes curbing nitrogen oxide and carbon pollution amid an online shopping boom, but some environmentalists call for stricter limits (Washington Post)

EPA Proposed Emissions Rules Would Cut NOx 60% (TruckingInfo.com)

Excerpt from Environmental Protection Agency: Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new, stronger standards to promote clean air and reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and engines starting in model year (MY) 2027. The proposed standards would reduce emissions of smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) from heavy-duty gasoline and diesel engines and set updated greenhouse gas (GHG) standards for certain commercial vehicle categories. This proposed rule would ensure the heavy-duty vehicles and engines that drive American commerce and connect people across the country are as clean as possible while charting a path to advance zero-emission vehicles in the heavy-duty fleet.

“Seventy-two million people are estimated to live near truck freight routes in America, and they are more likely to be people of color and those with lower incomes. These overburdened communities are directly exposed to pollution that causes respiratory and cardiovascular problems, among other serious and costly health effects,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “These new standards will drastically cut dangerous pollution by harnessing recent advancements in vehicle technologies from across the trucking industry as it advances toward a zero-emissions transportation future.”

Consistent with President Biden’s Executive Order, “Strengthening American Leadership in Clean Cars and Trucks,” the proposed action would reduce NOx emissions from trucks by as much as 60 percent in 2045. It would result in widespread air quality improvements across the United States, especially in areas already overburdened by air pollution and diesel emissions. The benefits of the proposed rule would exceed its costs by billions of dollars. EPA estimates that by 2045 the most ambitious option outlined in today’s proposal would result in the following annual benefits:

Up to 2,100 fewer premature deaths
6,700 fewer hospital admissions and emergency department visits
18,000 fewer cases of asthma onset in children
3.1 million fewer cases of asthma symptoms and allergic rhinitis symptoms
78,000 fewer lost days of work
1.1 million fewer lost school days for children

Today’s action is the first step in EPA’s “Clean Trucks Plan” – a series of clean air and climate regulations that the agency will develop over the next three years to reduce pollution from trucks and buses and to advance the transition to a zero-emissions transportation future.

EPA’s goal is to deliver significant and needed public health benefits by designing a program that sets ambitious standards and that are feasible for the trucking industry after giving appropriate consideration to cost and other factors, while supporting the American economy. To accomplish this, EPA has engaged with stakeholders and identified several options in the proposal that address the robustness of the standards, timing for phasing in the standards, options to incentivize early clean technology adoption, and improvements to emissions warranties. EPA is seeking input on these options and looking forward to continuing engagement through the public comment process.

The proposed revisions to existing GHG standards for MY2027 and beyond would set updated GHG emissions standards for subsectors where electrification is advancing at a more rapid pace. These sectors include school buses, transit buses, commercial delivery trucks, and short-haul tractors. In a separate action, EPA will be setting new GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles as soon as model year 2030. This action will more comprehensively address the long-term trend towards zero emissions vehicles across the heavy-duty sector.

Today’s proposal reflects input from stakeholders including community groups, manufacturers, and state, local, and tribal governments. EPA looks forward to hearing from all stakeholders involved in this important rulemaking. A public comment period and hearing will give stakeholders and the public an opportunity to comment on the proposal announced today and we look forward to engaging through this process. READ MORE

Excerpt from Diesel Technology Forum: That 1,375-page proposal actually includes two proposed options with variations in stringency and timing. And beyond cutting NOx emissions, the rule also updates greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) requirements for many key categories of heavy-duty vehicles.

In the end, NOx emissions from new diesel technology vehicles will be reduced about 90% from current levels… that are already near zero.

It’s a large and complex rule being fast-tracked this year. It comes at a critical time for manufacturers. The amount of emissions reductions achieved will be less consequential than the last time new standards were enacted in 2000. That rule required a complete switch to the current standard, ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, as a key foundation. EPA’s 10-year phase-in enabled manufacturers to introduce completely new technologies (particulate traps and selective catalytic reduction systems) which reduce both NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions to essentially near-zero levels: more than 98% lower emissions than previous generations.

Benefits achieved from the existing standards that reduced NOx from 10.7 to 0.20 (g/BHP-hr) completely overshadow the benefits to be achieved from this proposal (0.20 to 0.05 g/BHP-hr). That’s because most of the emissions reductions have already been achieved: diesel and natural gas engines are attaining near-zero emissions.

Manufacturers and suppliers are trying to balance investments in existing products/technologies such as diesel and natural gas, to achieve compliance with future tighter emissions standards while making significant investments in the development of zero emissions vehicle technology for the future such as electric and hydrogen.

This rule covers class 3-8 vehicles which is a wide and diverse range of trucks: box delivery trucks, cement mixers, trash trucks, straight trucks, and tractor trailer size trucks.

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That’s one area this proposal is silent on, the vast population of older vehicles on the road every day that have as much as 30 times the NOx emissions compared to new vehicles. Imagine the benefits if these vehicles could be replaced with the current generation of diesels already achieving near zero emissions. READ MORE