CORRECTS - US environment watchdog tightens pollution rules for heavy-duty vehicles

CORRECTS HEADLINE, REPLACES "GENERAL" WITH "HEALTH" IN CATEGORY

By Ovunc Kutlu

ISTANBUL (AA) - The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday it finalized new and tougher standards for heavy-duty vehicles to lower pollution and achieve zero emissions in the future.

Dubbed "the strongest-ever national clean air standards," the environment watchdog said the new standards, which is the first clean air update for heavy-duty trucks in more than 20 years, are more than 80% stronger than current standards.

They will reduce deadly smog from new heavy-duty trucks starting with model year 2027, according to the EPA.

The agency said it estimates up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths, 18,000 fewer cases of childhood asthma, 1.1 million fewer lost school days for children and $29 billion in annual net benefits by 2045 as a result of the final standards.

"EPA is taking significant action to protect public health, especially the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America, including our most vulnerable populations in historically overburdened communities," Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement.

The move is part of the nation's Clean Truck Plan, which aims to adopt low-carbon and electric technologies for America's highly polluting heavy-duty trucking fleet.

The new regulations also come at a time when President Joe Biden has initiated investments through bipartisan laws that will increase innovation in zero-emissions truck technology, expanding access to clean school and transit buses and training workers to install and maintain charging infrastructure, according to the EPA.

"These rigorous standards, coupled with historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will accelerate President Biden’s ambitious agenda to overhaul the nation’s trucking fleet, deliver cleaner air, and protect people and the planet," said Regan.

The watchdog said it plans to release proposals in the coming months for the remaining two steps in the Clean Trucks Plan -- greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty vehicles and multipollutant standards for light- and medium-duty vehicles, both beginning in model year 2027.