President Vetoes Bill That Would Have Overturned EPA Truck Emissions Rule
President Joe Biden has vetoed bipartisan legislation approved by both the U.S. House and Senate that would have overturned a U.S. Environmental Protect Agency heavy-duty truck pollution regulation aimed at reduced emissions of nitrogen oxides by half by 2045.
Specifically, the new regulation, which was finalized in 2022, calls for emissions levels that are 80 percent stricter than current standards. The regulations would apply to heavy duty trucks starting with model year 2027.
It is likely the rule will drive up the cost of trucking at a time when shipping costs are contributing to inflation. The Republican senators who introduced the legislation also had argued the “aggressive” EPA rule would incentivize “operators to keep using older, higher-emitting trucks for longer.”
House lawmakers had voted 221-203 to overturn the rule. The vote in the Senate was 50-49. Neither of those margins is large enough to overwhelm a presidential veto so this measure is now effectively dead.
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