IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 31, 2022
NEW REPORT: California’s proposed ACF rule is a good first step, but a stronger final rule will result in almost $10 billion worth of additional net benefits
170,000 more polluting trucks will be left on the road if CARB fails to strengthen the Advanced Clean Fleet standard
SACRAMENTO - The Advanced Clean Fleet (ACF) standard under development by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will provide massive benefits for communities and fleets throughout California. A recent independent report by Environment Research Management (ERM) finds that accelerating the ACF rule’s 100% zero-emission trucks sales target from 2040 to 2036 will result in 130,000 more clean trucks on the road in 2050. The report, commissioned by the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) and the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), finds this improvement will produce additional cumulative (2022 to 2050) net societal benefits of $9.9 billion thanks to reduced climate pollution, improved air quality, higher utility net revenue, and fleet savings.
“Families all across California are suffering from the impacts of environmental racism that come in the form of living in some of the most polluted communities in the country,” said Andrea Vidaurre, policy analyst, People's Collective for Environmental Justice (PC4EJ). “CARB has a responsibility to maximize and accelerate the benefits identified in this report to those families to ensure that the Advanced Clean Fleet rule reflects this critical need across the state.”
Environmental justice, health and labor advocates from across the state support accelerating the ACF target by four years from 2040 to 2036 to get more vehicles on the road in priority communities that, thanks to generations of institutionalized racism and marginalization, tend to live in what physicians call “diesel death zones.” Diesel exhaust contains more than 40 known cancer-causing organic substances, making it responsible for about 70% of cancer risk related to air toxins in California.
In California, despite making up only 7% of the on-road fleet, medium and heavy-duty vehicles:
Emit approximately 27% of all greenhouse gases annually from the on-road vehicle fleet.
Emit 62% of smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx).
Emit 56% of the diesel soot (particulate matter PM2) emitted by on-road.
“Nearly 54,000 Californians already work in the clean vehicle sector. A strong ACF sends the market signal that clean transportation is good business. Not only is this policy good for our environment, but also good for our economy,” said Bob Keefe, California-based executive director of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), a national non-partisan network of 11,000 business leaders.
By requiring 100% electric truck sales by 2036, 130,000 more Class 2b to 8 electric trucks will be on the road in 2050. This will:
Result in more than $30 billion in health care savings;
Deliver the average electric medium or heavy-duty vehicle owner between $48,000 and $84,000 in fuel and maintenance savings over the vehicle’s lifetime, depending on the model year; and
Cut climate pollution by 24 million metric tons, about as much pollution as 6.5 coal power plants.
Additionally, the 2036 target would help continue the momentum gained by the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule. The ACT rule ends in 2035 and the proposal as it stands wouldn’t begin until 2040, resulting in over 170,000 fewer pollution-free trucks, vans and buses on the road compared to the 2036 target.
“New investments to meet the charging needs of new electric trucks means more job opportunities for trained, unionized electricians,” said Cristina Marquez, the environmental organizer for IBEW Local 569. “There are 80,000 public charging stations in California right now available to all EV drivers, whether it’s a car or an 18-wheeler. We’re ready to build the remaining needed charging infrastructure - whether that’s for a 100% electrified fleet of delivery vans or a single-family home.”
While overall societal benefits - especially for public health - are significant, the report finds that getting more electric trucks on the grid could actually reduce electricity bills for families and businesses across the state thanks to the incremental increase in utility net revenue coming in from more vehicles charging. With the potential cost savings for fleets and air quality benefits, communities and businesses will benefit greatly from a stronger ACF standard.
“A 100% electric truck sales requirement by 2036 not only falls more in line with climate and air quality demands, but makes more sense given recent economic and market analyses,” said Sam Wilson, Senior Vehicles Analyst, Union of Concerned Scientists. “Studies on the lifetime ownership costs, including upfront purchase price, fuel, maintenance, etc., estimate that battery electric trucks of all classes will show favorable total cost of ownership to their combustion counterparts in 2030 at the latest. The urgency to address climate change and equitable access to clean air does not allow us to delay a 100% sales requirement for a decade after cost parity is reached.”
“The evidence is clear: the ACF rule will slash harmful fossil fuel emissions and boost California’s economy,” said Patricio Portillo, senior advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council. “But to maximize benefits and protect public health, the final rule must zero out pollution from new trucks by 2036.”
MEDIA CONTACT: Christina Heartquist, 408-661-2666, christina@sunstonestrategies.org