Larisa Manescu, larisa.manescu@sierraclub.org
NEW YORK CITY, NY – Yesterday, Vice President Kamala Harris and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced a nearly $200 million investment to slash emissions from cars and trucks and invest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The funding provided for programs such as the SuperTruck Initiative aims to accelerate the enormous benefits of transportation electrification, address the climate crisis, and create family-sustaining jobs across the country.
VP Harris and DOE Secretary Granholm made the announcement in New York amid a showcase of electric trucks and buses, where the issue of cleaning up pollution from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles is in a critical stage. Advocates in New York are urging Governor Hochul to adopt the Advanced Clean Trucks rule to slash diesel emissions and deliver zero-emission trucks for climate action, environmental justice, and public health.
On the national level, President Biden announced an executive order in August that directed the EPA to set standards for on-road medium- and heavy-duty diesel vehicles across the nation that will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM) emissions. Last week, 15 states urged the EPA and NHTSA to get moving on a stringent federal NOx rule to regulate pollution from heavy-duty trucks.
Diesel trucks and buses are major contributors to NOx emissions, a potent precursor to the formation of ground-level ozone pollution and fine particulate matter, which affect the health and well-being of millions of people in the U.S. Curbing these harmful emissions is crucial to improving air quality, saving lives, and addressing environmental injustice and the climate crisis.
Katherine García, Acting Director of the Sierra Club’s Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:
“This is a pivotal investment from the Biden administration to clean up toxic diesel pollution from trucks and help ensure communities are not treated as sacrifice zones for the transportation of goods. We applaud Vice President Harris and Secretary Granholm for investing in key programs that will accelerate electric vehicle deployment and putting electric trucks and buses in the spotlight.
“Still, there are major levers the administration can pull to electrify medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, and we urge them to do so urgently. The most important is moving swiftly on a federal rule to address NOx pollution from trucks, a commitment that President Biden made in August. There is no time for delay.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.