Energy Exchange

It’s been exactly one year since nearly two dozen U.S. and Canadian states signed onto a roadmap to 100% zero-emission truck sales by 2050. While this was an important milestone, it was only intended to be the starting point. States were encouraged to build on these plans by developing localized versions that would meet their own unique needs. It’s part of an MOU – the largest multi-state action on clean transportation in U.S. history — that 19 states comprising a third of the medium- and heavy-duty market signed on to back in 2020.

So, how are these state plans coming along? While many states have taken discrete steps to advance zero-emission truck and buses, most states that adopted the model action plan last year have not taken steps to develop their own blueprints for a zero-tailpipe future.

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Medium- and heavy-duty trucks only make up 10% of the vehicles on American roads and highways, but they produce a disproportionate amount of climate and local air pollution per mile. That’s why states, cities and counties across the country have been working for years to clean up these critical pieces of our economy.

Colorado has two urgent opportunities — alongside complementary measures that explicitly prioritize frontline communities — to seize this momentum and produce cleaner air and reduced climate emissions faster.

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The drive toward a zero-emission future logged another mile of progress after the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, representing a coalition of 16 states, the Province of Quebec, and Washington D.C. last week unveiled its draft action plan to put more electric trucks and buses on U.S. roads.

The draft model action plan represents an excellent roadmap for these states as they aim to achieve the zero-emission sales targets outlined in the MOU they all signed back in July 2020: 30% of new truck and bus sales by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Importantly, the plan was developed in collaboration with EJ and community advocates, which is an indispensable component of the policymaking process.

Given that these states represent about one-third of the U.S. truck market, this commitment – and the plan to achieve it – are both important pieces of the puzzle to support increased adoption of zero-emission trucks and buses.

However, states have an opportunity to enact more ambitious goals than the ones set out in the NESCAUM MOU and model action plan – one they can and should seize to address the significant health and climate concerns posed by trucks and buses. Read More »