Issue link: https://jocdigital.uberflip.com/i/1203288
28 The Journal of Commerce | Februar y 3 2020 www.joc.com Government WITH NEW YORK–NEW Jersey port stakeholders in support, a federal environmental regulator in January launched an initiative to garner industry input on a national plan to limit the emissions of nitrogen oxides from heavy duty trucks for the first time in 19 years. The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) plan, fueled by public concern over pollution from heavy trucks, will put pressure on US port authorities, including those in New York and New Jersey, to tighten emission standards in future on their drayage fleet. The new standards will eventually prompt authorities to demand newer, low- er-emission truck models. The US federal government is seeking to further limit the emis- sions of nitrogen oxides from heavy duty trucks by pushing manufactur- ers to create more efficient engines. The EPA, during a press conference Jan. 13 at the Port of New York and New Jersey, launched a 30-day national public comment period to solicit input from industry and com- munity groups on how best to cut truck emissions. The comments received during the EPA's "Cleaner Trucks Initiative" will help shape new regulations, a draft of which will be opened for public comment later in the year. The final regulations are expected to be in place in late 2020 or early 2021, Pete Lopez, regional administrator for EPA Region 2, and other EPA officials said at a press conference in Newark, New Jersey. The campaign hits on a con- tentious issue that has surfaced nationwide, but especially for ports in urban areas, where concerns over truck emissions and pollution are common. Port authorities wrestle with how to limit the number of older, higher-polluting trucks while ensuring the port drayage fleet is suffi- cient to meet the needs of port users. Also present at the press confer- ence, and supportive of the EPA's initiative, were Beth Rooney, deputy port director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Gail Toth, executive director for the New Jersey Motor Trucking Association; and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Urban testing Given the importance of trucks to move cargo, the challenge for the EPA is to create regulations for all trucks that ensure they are "clean, but also remain a competitive method of transporting goods," Lopez said. Lopez said the initiative will focus on testing programs to ensure emis- sions from newly developed engines are restricted in a variety of operating conditions. Between 2001 and 2017, nitrogen oxide emissions fell 40 per- cent, but trucks continue to be one of the largest contributors to emissions, the EPA said in a statement released in concert with the initiative's launch. In the past, much of the testing has focused on emissions on high- way truck driving, Lopez said. "Emissions on a highway from long-distance hauling will have a certain set of impacts under a certain performance of a vehicle," he said. "We want to be more com- prehensive and inclusive. So, we're also going to step back and look at what happens in a more urban envi- ronment or when the vehicles are performing in different capacities," such as stop-and-go traffic. The EPA is also looking to ensure that truck manufacturers provide long enough warranties on emission control systems that they cover much of the life of the vehicle. Without that, truck owners, when the warranty expires, may decide they don't want to spend the money to repair broken emission control systems, said Dan Birkett, an envi- ronmental scientist for the EPA. JOC email: hugh.morley@ihsmarkit.com twitter: @HughRMorley1 Nitrogen oxide emissions in the US fell 40 percent from 2001 to 2017, but the EPA is targeting heavy trucks for further progress. Shutterstock.com "We're going to step back and look at what happens in a more urban environment." International | Washington | Customs | Security | Regulation A cleaner dray EPA seeks port input on tougher truck emission plan By Hugh R. Morley