CARB Continues to Enforce State and Local Clean Fleets Requirements

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) on Jan. 17 announced it is not enforcing portions of the Advanced Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation that would have required federal authorization, such as the portions that apply to high-priority and drayage fleets. However, CARB will continue to enforce the state and local fleet requirements which were effective as of Jan. 1, 2024.

The announcement came days after CARB withdrew its Clean Air Act Waiver Request to administer the ACF regulation in California from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The original waiver request, which California sought to enable it to require medium- and heavy-duty fleets operating in the state to convert to zero-emission trucks, was submitted to U.S. EPA in November 2023 and resulted in questions about whether CARB retained its ability to enforce ACF.

According to CARB, this withdrawal does not impact ACF enforcement requirements on state and local government fleets in California because CARB was not required to request a waiver for state and local fleets under the Federal Clean Air Act.

ACWA will continue to engage as CARB evaluates next steps. CARB remains committed to working in partnership with interested parties to reduce air pollution to protect public health and encourages affected industries to continue reducing their emissions.