Rising levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxides, are fueling the pace of climate change legislation around the world. Those efforts in the U.S. continue to heat up and right now, the trucking industry is directly in the cross hairs.

California is aggressively targeting greenhouse gas emissions from all sources throughout the state, and at the moment the trucking industry’s primary fuel source, diesel, is being labeled “Dirty”.

Senate Bill 44, also known as the Ditching Dirty Diesel bill, is designed to phase out the use of diesel-fueled medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses in the state over the next three decades. The bill would mandate that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) come up with a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in commercial trucks by 40% in 2030 and 80% by 2050. The bill also requires CARB to develop their strategy for targeted trucks by Jan. 1, 2021. The proposed legislation has far reaching consequences that would include trucks entering California from other states.

The state of Oregon has initiated similar legislation (HB2007) which declares an emergency related to diesel emissions. The bill would require the Environmental Quality Commission to adopt federal diesel engine emission standards for medium-duty and heavy-duty trucks. It would also require truck owners entering into the state to maintain evidence that their engines meet those standards. Taking it a step further, HB2007 would also require certain public improvement contracts to require the use of 2010 model year or newer diesel engines in performance of the contract. The bill would be effective January 1, 2020. But wait, Oregon is not done yet. The state is doubling down on their emergency declaration by simultaneously introducing a greenhouse gas cap and trade program as a compliance mechanism. That legislation would take effect January 1, 2021.

On the other side of the country, a coalition of nine states (Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.) announced

their intent to design a low-carbon transportation policy proposal. The proposal would cap and reduce carbon emissions from the combustion of transportation fuels, and invest proceeds from the program into the transportation infrastructure. It also sets a goal of completing the policy design process within one year, after which each jurisdiction will decide whether to adopt and implement the policy.