SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Fresh off adopting a sweeping plan to reduce greenhouse gases, California air regulators are considering cracking down on pollution from nearly a million diesel trucks that crowd the state's highways each year.
On Friday, the state Air Resources Board was expected to adopt what would be the country's most comprehensive rule to get the dirtiest trucks and buses off the road, including those that travel into California from other states, Canada and Mexico.
The heavy-duty trucks that cart food, electronics, toys and other goods are the leading cause of diesel pollution in a state that has some of the smoggiest skies in the country.
"The health benefits of this rule are just enormous," Air Resources Board chairwoman Mary Nichols said. "We're talking about thousands of lives saved."
The regulation would require owners of some of the oldest and most polluting trucks, school buses, motor coaches and street sweepers to begin transforming their fleets as soon as 2010.
It is a critical element of California's strategy to clean up its smoggy skies and meet state and federal air standards. The new rules would reduce ozone-eating nitrogen oxides and soot-forming particulate matter that can become embedded in lung tissue.
The idea is to speed up the replacement of thousands of trucks and buses that are usually on the road for decades and are not as clean as newer model vehicles that have stricter emission standards mandated by the federal government.
If the rules are adopted, old diesel vehicles would have to be outfitted with pollution filters or new engines or be replaced with newer, cleaner vehicles. The cost to businesses, school districts and transit agencies statewide is estimated at $5.5 billion.
That's a price the trucking industry and others say they can't afford, since the recession has left many truck and bus owners struggling to pay the bills.
"With this economy, this puts us in an untenable position," said Robert Ramorino, president of the California Trucking Association, which wants more time to meet the proposed mandates.
Ramorino said he and many truck owners would be forced to replace relatively new trucks for which they are still paying.
Regulators point out that the costs will be spread over 16 years and say they are dwarfed by the estimated $48 billion to $68 billion in health benefits to Californians who currently breathe diesel fumes.
By the time the regulation is fully implemented in 2023, regulators estimate the amount of diesel particulate matter and nitrogen oxides emitted from these vehicles would be cut by about a third.
The two pollutants can lead to premature death and increased asthma and heart attacks. The proposed rule is projected to prevent 9,400 premature deaths over 20 years, according to an analysis by the board.

 

Better yet, lets just erect a fence around Cali and let them become their own country.

They really do not get it yet, the fact that we are broke?

 

I was just getting ready to do a post on this. I was talking to my dad last night about this b.s. It is going to put thousands of small business out for sure. We have 4 old diesels for our business, 2 86 izuzu npr's , my pile and my dad's 01. Everything is paid off and in this economy that is very important. So are we supposed to go out and get an 08 4500 dump truck for 40k to replace the 20 year old one? My fathers 01 was supposed to be the last personal truck he ever buys. What about the guys who are paying on fleet purchases? This is ubsurd. This is exactly why im leaving the state in 5 months.

 

local drivers can do what they can. but,
out of state drivers can just refuse loads to and from cali.
when people complain about goods not being available.
and higher prices. the californicator gov. may reconsider.

 

the only way i see this working is if they set it up for the state to pay for the newer trucks based on the value of the old truck plus consider the companies dependency on that vehicle to establish a way to exchange old trucks for new ones for little to no cost. just like the feds do for owners of older class 8 truck. give them a pay check to buy them a new emission friendly engine

 

Where's the straw that breaks the camel's back? Will it be this ruling or the next? CA can't even balance the budget, is billions in the hole and it's getting worse week by week as the legislature refuses to compromise.

At some point something has to give.

I'm beginning to watch this whole budget mess and CARB and some other things from a removed point of view. Like a giant slow motion train wreck that I can just step back from and watch.

I'm tired of being upset about all the craziness. Just let the whole thing collapse and start over.

Meanwhile, the Central Valley and LA have the dirtiest air I've ever seen except in Shanghai. The Bay Area is only clean because all the polution blows away with the prevailing wind that blows hard from the northwest about 90% of the time. Now they're talking about CA air being partly dirty because of polution from China.

 

Good intentions,they just need to wait a few years until the economy recovers. We do need air quality relief here,but not on the backs of the independents.

 

can I get out first? I need to sell my house first,thats now worth 50% less then I payed for it

 

The thing that amazes me is they want to regulate stupid stuff like backyard barbeques, but none of them are smart enough to figure out the REAL problem is the population density................spread people out and the problem rectifies itself.

Geeze.

 

Pat.don't make me lose respect for you by attempting to introduce logic into our politics.Just consider Calif.Politics your introduction to bama's with a little Chicago added.

 

well, in a few years california will be the place to buy diesels. Im interested to see who really backed this nonsense.

 

LOL, sorry, lost me head there for a sec.

I'll go back in the corner.....

 

me and my dad saw it on the news also. its crazy for the smaller fleets of diesels. and just like u.s mma said hes getting out in 5 months so am i as soon as i can haha

 

I want to get out of here. I got in an argument tonight at a holiday party with a guy that backs this thing. He says by the time it happens the retrofit will cost only $3K. Maybe that is true but I'm still against forcing the retrofit of older vehicles.

 

Does that mean they would do a smog test before you are allowed to enter the state?