US truck pollution rules face Trump EPA rollback

The Trump administration proposed loosening US truck pollution regulations on Thursday, targeting a 2023 rule meant to cut NOx emissions from truck tailpipes beginning with model year 2027.

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin said the changes would help manufacturers and truck operators. He said the previous rules would drive up costs and force companies to rush products to market before they were ready.

The proposal still requires a public comment period before it can be finalised.

The EPA wants to cut the emissions-related warranty, the period during which manufacturers guarantee their pollution controls will work, from 450,000 miles to 100,000 miles. Regulators said the amendments would keep nearly 90 percent of the NOx reductions from the Biden-era rule.

The EPA estimated the changes would save $12 billion and up to $6,000 per new truck.

The Environmental Defense Fund criticised the proposal. Peter Zalzal of the group said weakening clean air protections would mean more health harms and higher costs in communities across the country.

NOx, shorthand for nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide, forms smog, aggravates respiratory illnesses including asthma, forms acid rain and contributes to nutrient pollution in coastal waters.