A group of Republican attorneys general, led by Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers, has taken legal action against the Biden administration and California over new emissions limits for trucks. The attorneys general filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule limiting truck emissions. They claim that the EPA and California rules will devastate the trucking and logistics industry, raise prices for customers, and impact jobs across Nebraska and the country. The lack of infrastructure for charging stations for electric trucks in Nebraska is also a concern raised by Hilgers.
The EPA has defended the strict emissions standards, stating that they will help clean up some of the nation’s largest sources of greenhouse gases. The new rules, scheduled to take effect for model years 2027 through 2032, are expected to avoid up to 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions over the next three decades. EPA officials have emphasized that the emissions restrictions will particularly benefit the estimated 72 million people in the U.S. living near freight routes used by trucks and heavy vehicles, who bear a disproportionate burden of dangerous air pollution. However, a spokesperson for the EPA declined to comment on the legal challenge filed by the Republican attorneys general.
California’s rules, which would ban the sale of big rigs and diesel buses in the state starting in 2036, are also facing legal challenges from the group of GOP attorneys general. California has been at the forefront of efforts to transition away from fossil fuels, with recent rules aimed at phasing out gas-powered vehicles and equipment. However, industries and Republican leaders in other states have pushed back against these regulations. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit had previously ruled in 2022 that states challenging California’s emissions standards failed to prove that the rules would increase costs for gas-powered vehicles in their states.
The latest legal actions, led by Nebraska’s Attorney General Mike Hilgers, have garnered support from a number of other Republican-led states. These states have joined the lawsuit against the EPA as well as the lawsuit against California. The states involved in the legal challenges include Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The attorneys general are seeking to overturn the emissions limits for trucks, arguing that the regulations will have a negative impact on the economy and jobs in their states.California’s Air Resources Board did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the legal challenge from the Republican attorneys general.
