Bianca Sanchez, bianca.sanchez@sierraclub.org
BOSTON – Today, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced a proposed two-year delay to the state’s previously adopted Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) regulation, delaying crucial health benefits the rule would bring to residents. The proposed delay follows a deliberate, national effort by manufacturers to create a false compliance crisis to stall progress on the shift to clean vehicles.
Massachusetts first adopted the ACT regulation in 2021. The rule set increasing sales targets on manufacturers for electric trucks. In October, the DEP also announced a one-year delay for the implementation of the Low NOx Heavy-Duty Omnibus (HDO) program amid mounting pressure from truck manufacturers and dealers.
Diesel trucks are a proven health risk, especially to drivers, communities of color, and residents who live near highways and transportation hubs. A recent study analyzed the combined effects of trucks sold by four major manufacturers over the last 10 years. According to the analysis, throughout their lifetime (2014-2040), these trucks will result in a projected 307,000 deaths, 217,000 new cases of childhood asthma, and 120 million missed workdays, amounting to $1.4 trillion in total health-care related economic costs.
“Diesel trucks are a health risk Massachusetts cannot willfully ignore,” said Vick Mohanka, Director of Sierra Club Massachusetts. “Delaying the transition to cleaner, more efficient trucks is misguided and will have a detrimental impact on the well-being of our local communities. Study after study shows the devastating impact of highly emitting diesel trucks, especially to infants & young children. Truck manufacturers must be held accountable for their attempts to obstruct the necessary transition to cleaner trucks that lower fuel costs and emissions.”
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.