MATSUI AND COLLEAGUES APPLAUD BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S ZERO EMISSION FREIGHT STRATEGY
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Reps. Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Mike Quigley (IL-05) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s announcement unveiling the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy.
The group of lawmakers represent districts covering high trafficked key freight corridors including Los Angeles-Sacramento-Portland-Seattle, San Francisco-Reno, Chicago-Denver, and Houston-Dallas-Austin-San Antonio. On February 22, 2024, the lawmakers led a group of 20 colleagues in a letter to senior White House officials, urging them to swiftly finalize a strong heavy-duty vehicle emissions rule and make strategic investments in charging and fueling infrastructure for zero-emission trucks along key freight corridors. That letter is available HERE.
“As lawmakers representing key freight corridors, reducing pollution from heavy-duty vehicles will have far-reaching public health benefits for our districts, and building the infrastructure to support zero-emission trucks will provide good-paying jobs for our constituents,” said the lawmakers. “That’s why we sent a letter to senior White House officials in February calling for the Biden Administration to implement a national strategy for freight decarbonization that prioritizes and coordinates the deployment of federal funds in our districts to support necessary charging and fueling infrastructure. Today, we applaud the Administration’s announcement of a National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy that will do just that—accelerate the decarbonization of heavy-duty vehicles by targeting investments along key freight corridors. We look forward to working with the Administration to put this plan into action, to reduce planet-warming emissions from highway freight and turn federal infrastructure investments into jobs and health benefits for our constituents.”
As co-chair of the Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), Congresswoman Matsui has long been a champion of bold climate action and the adoption of ambitious vehicle emission standards. Last September, Congresswoman Matsui, Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y) and Nanette Barragán (D-CA), and Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) led a letter urging EPA to finalize the strongest heavy-duty vehicle emission standards. Last July, Matsui, Clarke, Markey, and Padilla also led 91 colleagues in urging the EPA to finalize the strongest emission standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles.
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