In a display of clear opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) new truck emissions standards, 24 Republican state attorneys general filed a request for review with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. This request challenges regulations finalized earlier this year.
Simultaneously, 17 state attorneys general filed a separate lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California against California’s Advanced Clean Fleets rule.
These legal actions occur at the same time as Republican legislators introduce resolutions aimed at blocking the EPA’s recent efforts to tighten emissions standards.
Hilgers explained that both lawsuits argue the Biden Administration and California regulators have overstepped their constitutional and statutory authority by attempting to mandate a nationwide transition to electric trucks.
He criticized the regulations as being out of touch with reality, citing inefficiencies, high costs, and potential negative impacts on Nebraska citizens, such as increased transportation costs, higher prices for goods, and added strain on the electric power grid.
The D.C. Circuit lawsuit targets the EPA’s rule enforcing stringent tailpipe emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, effectively compelling manufacturers to produce more electric trucks and fewer internal combustion trucks.
The California lawsuit challenges the state’s Advanced Clean Fleets regulations, which require certain trucking fleet owners and operators to phase out internal combustion trucks in favor of electric trucks.
The states joining Nebraska’s lawsuit 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.
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming are the states participating in the lawsuit against California alongside Nebraska. Additionally, the Arizona State Legislature and the Nebraska Trucking Association have joined this lawsuit.
Source: Truckers News
