MATSUI AND COLLEAGUES URGE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TO REDUCE EMISSIONS ALONG KEY FREIGHT CORRIDORS
WASHINGTON D.C. – Congresswoman Doris Matsui (CA-07) and Reps. Robert Garcia (CA-42), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Mike Quigley (IL-05), and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) led a group of 20 lawmakers 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.
The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, making up 29 percent of all emissions. Within the transportation sector, heavy-duty vehicles are the second-largest contributor, at 23 percent. A substantial portion of heavy-duty vehicle emissions come from high trafficked key freight corridors, including Los Angeles-Sacramento-Portland-Seattle, San Francisco-Reno, Chicago-Denver, and Houston-Dallas-Austin-San Antonio.
“As representatives of districts located along these freight corridors, we strongly support decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking and stand ready to work with the Administration to ensure investments in charging and fueling infrastructure in our districts are aligned with meeting the decarbonization targets required by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy Duty Vehicles,” wrote the lawmakers.
The devastating effects of air pollution from heavy-duty trucks disproportionately fall on low-income communities and communities of color. These key investments in charging and fueling infrastructure would help meet nationwide heavy-duty vehicle emission standards while creating good-paying jobs and alleviating negative health impacts in these communities.
“Addressing transportation pollution is a climate issue, a public health issue, and an environmental justice issue,” said Maisy Deans, Government Affairs Advocate at Evergreen Action. “To tackle the challenge of transportation pollution, the EPA must finalize a strong clean trucks standard and the federal government must make strategic investments in decarbonization. Evergreen, our allies, and leaders on the Hill have identified the need for a clear strategy to target investments that drive us forward. Rep. Matsui and the 19 other Congressional leaders on this letter are right to call for a data-backed, targeted approach to build charging and fueling infrastructure in priority freight corridors and to raise their hands to bring jobs and projects to the key corridors in their districts – which will benefit the whole country. A strong clean trucks standard will improve health outcomes and create jobs in the communities along these corridors and across America.”
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.
The full letter is available HERE and below:
Dear Mr. Podesta and Mr. Zaidi:
We represent districts located along key freight corridors that have a central role to play in decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking. These freight corridors, including Los Angeles-Sacramento-Portland-Seattle, San Francisco-Reno, Chicago-Denver, and Houston-Dallas-Austin-San Antonio, have been identified by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) as high priority targets for strategic investments in charging and fueling infrastructure for zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles. As representatives of districts located along these freight corridors, we strongly support decarbonizing heavy-duty trucking and stand ready to work with the Administration to ensure investments in charging and fueling infrastructure in our districts are aligned with meeting the decarbonization targets required by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy Duty Vehicles - Phase 3 rule (HDV Phase 3 rule).
Critics of the EPA’s proposed HDV Phase 3 rule have claimed that the necessary charging and fueling infrastructure to support zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles will not be built fast enough and widespread enough to meet the decarbonization timeline set by the HDV Phase 3 rule. However, ICCT’s analysis indicates that we don’t need to build this charging and fueling infrastructure everywhere at the same time. Rather, strategic investments along certain heavily trafficked freight corridors, representing less than 1% of paved road miles in the U.S. and less than 10% of the National Highway Freight Network, could support enough zero-emission long-haul trucks along these routes to meet the nationwide requirements of the proposed HDV Phase 3 rule. Moreover, much of this work is already beginning thanks to the significant incentives for charging and fueling infrastructure in the Inflation Reduction Act.
We, as representatives of these freight corridors, welcome these investments as an opportunity to bring public investment to our districts and to provide our constituents with good paying jobs and significant and lasting health benefits. Air pollution from heavy-duty trucking disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color, and the American Lung Association estimates that decarbonizing heavy-duty trucks could prevent 66,800 premature deaths, 1.75 million asthma attacks, and 8.5 million lost workdays in counties with major trucking routes, providing cumulative public health benefits worth $735 billion between now and 2050. At the same time, building a network of charging and fueling infrastructure—and the necessary electric grid infrastructure—along the freight corridors that run through our districts will also create thousands of new, good paying jobs in our districts. We are eager to bring these benefits home to our constituents, and we look forward to working with the Administration to meet the decarbonization timeline required in the proposed HDV Phase 3 rule.
We therefore urge the Biden Administration to swiftly finalize a strong HDV rule and to work with us 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.
Shrewd, targeted investments in heavy-duty charging and fueling infrastructure in our districts would put the nation on track to achieve the emissions reductions required by the proposed HDV Phase 3 rule, while also delivering local air quality benefits and good jobs for our constituents. As leaders in our districts and our communities, we are ready to work with the Administration to bring together state and local government, trucking companies, utilities, and union leaders, to build the necessary infrastructure and clean up our roads.
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