The Trump Administration’s Weakening of Heavy-Duty Truck NOx Limits Means Dirtier Air, Increased Health Risks

"Every safeguard in the former heavy-duty truck NOx program existed for a reason: to keep harmful pollution out of the air people breathe. The Trump administration's decision to gut those protections makes it harder to ensure that pollution controls work throughout a truck's life and will lead to substantially higher NOx emissions from vehicles on our roads.

"Nitrogen oxide pollution contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone and fine particulate matter, worsening air quality and increasing the risk of asthma attacks, respiratory illness, heart and lung disease, and premature death. Children, older adults, people with preexisting health conditions, and the millions of people who live, work, or attend school near highways, ports, warehouses and freight corridors are especially vulnerable to these harmful impacts.

"With this move, the administration is allowing industry to abdicate its responsibility and forcing the public to endure dirtier air, more pollution-related illnesses and higher health costs.

"EPA should be strengthening protections that reduce harmful truck pollution, not dismantling them. The decision by the Trump administration to allow manufacturers to buy their way out of compliance with these regulations while eliminating every safeguard to ensure any emissions controls are operating as designed moves us in the wrong direction for clean air and public health."