EPA Proposes Reversing Stricter Pollution Rules For Old Truck Engines

"The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule Thursday to repeal tighter emissions standards for heavy-duty trucks with older engines, an Obama-era regulation aimed at controlling soot and other pollutants along with greenhouse-gas emissions linked to climate change.

Major trucking groups and engine manufacturers supported the 2016 rule, which was set to take full effect in January. But it was fiercely opposed by a handful of companies that manufacture truck components called gliders and trailers. A glider, or body, is the front of a truck, including the cab, which fits over the engine. Trailers are the storage components that make up most of the length of a truck.

In a statement, Pruitt — who met privately in May with Fitzgerald Truck Sales, the manufacturer that stands to benefit most from the rule’s repeal — said the rule disproportionately affected an industry that produces roughly 10,000 gliders a year. Originally intended to allow truckers to continue using engines when their vehicles had been damaged in accidents, some now buy new components to house older engines as a way of saving thousands of dollars."

Juliet Eilperin reports for the Washington Post November 9, 2017.