EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules

The Trump EPA calls Biden-era rules for cutting pollution from heavy trucks "unworkable." The proposed changes have been celebrated . Business EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules July 9, 20263:03 PM ET Camila Domonoske An exhaust pipe is pictured atop a truck traveling along Interstate 35 on July 30, 2025 in Austin, Texas. The EPA is proposing changes to rule limiting hazardous pollution from heavy trucks. Brandon Bell/ North America hide caption toggle caption Brandon Bell/ North America Stay up to date with our Up First , sent every weekday morning. The Trump administration is proposing changes to what it calls "unnecessary and unworkable" Biden-era environmental rules designed to cut pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, including buses and large trucks. Climate Trump's EPA will stop regulating greenhouse gases, setting up a legal fight Business Trump administration rolls back fuel economy standards The proposal — part of a series of deregulatory actions — includes changes that are welcomed . Specifically, the proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency would scale back and postpone two provisions designed to make sure emissions-reducing technology keeps working while a vehicle is in use; one related to warranties, and another related to the useful life of emissions technology. Additionally, the current set of rules requires truck engines to automatically operate at reduced power if their emissions reduction systems aren't working, which truckers and other heavy-duty vehicle operators have called disruptive. The EPA proposes getting rid of that requirement altogether and replacing it with an alert to drivers. According to the EPA's analysis, the changes would save the trucking industry between $4,130 and $6,152 per diesel engine affected. Compared to the current emissions rules, the change would increase ozone-forming nitrogen oxide pollution from heavy duty trucks by 4.2% in 2030 and by 11.6% by 2055. The EPA did not model the resulting effect on air quality or human health, but noted that the modifications would likely reduce the benefits of prior rules changes in 2023. The proposal is now open for a period of public comment. "If finalized, these changes will help manufacturers keep improving their vehicles without being forced to rush products to market before they're ready," EPA administrator Lee Zeldin said in a statement, adding that the rules changes "will ease real burdens for operators." Business Trump wants a gas tax holiday. There's a much bigger problem looming Kelly Loeffler, who heads the U. Small Business Administration, wrote that the rules change would alleviate "burdensome diesel regulations on behalf of farmers, truckers, and small business owners who were crushed ." The American Trucking Associations had called for changes to the rules, writing in February that the Biden-era policies would require "a premature rollout of commercial motor vehicles with unproven engine technologies onto our highways." The group specifically asked the agency to allow truck manufacturers to pay penalties instead of comply with the rules, as long as they were working on developing compliant engines, an option the EPA included in the proposal.