Traffic on a California highway. Democrats defended EPA’s rule as a necessary public health measure. (Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images and Tribune Content Agency)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted 221-203 on May 23, mostly along party lines, to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule to reduce smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy trucks.
The measure cleared the U.S. Senate in April with the support of Republicans and centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia. The White House has said President Joe Biden will veto it.
The rule, finalized in December, makes the first update to heavy-duty truck nitrogen oxide emissions standards in more than 20 years and includes standards that are more than 80% stronger than the previous ones, according to EPA. They come into effect in model year 2027.
Nitrogen oxide, or NOx, produced from burning fuel, interacts with other pollutants in the atmosphere to create ozone and particulate matter. It contributes to breathing and heart problems and disproportionately impacts people who live near truck routes. EPA estimated the tougher rule would prevent up to 2,900 premature deaths and 6,700 hospital admissions between 2027 and 2045.
Only four Democrats sided with Republicans to rescind the rule. One Republican voted with Democrats in favor of maintaining it.
Republicans argued the rule will imperil supply chains and force costly upgrades on trucks that could contribute to rising prices. They also criticized the rule as an effort by the Biden administration to manipulate the market to push clean energy priorities.
“Small truck owners and operators might not be able to afford these changes and will either go out of business or be forced to pass the cost on to the customer,” Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said in a floor speech May 23. “Our supply chains are already stretched thin. Inflation is sky high. Either of these scenarios worsens our economic outlook and raises prices for consumers across the board.”
Tlaib
Democrats defended EPA’s rule as a necessary public health measure that will improve the lives of people in low-income communities who are most likely to reside along busy roadways.
“We have a right to breathe clean air. Part one of President Biden’s Clean Trucks Plan is just a small step toward environmental justice for communities that have been left behind for far too long,” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said on the floor May 23.
She spoke of the health issues people in Detroit face due to heavy-duty truck traffic: “I invite any of my colleagues to spend a day with me in my district to see themselves what rampant, unchecked pollution does to a community.”
The White House has pledged to veto the congressional rollback measure, saying the EPA rule will “prevent hundreds of premature deaths,” asthma cases and lost school days.
Congress has the power to override federal rules with a simple majority vote in both chambers. However, the provision did not pass with the two-thirds majority that would be needed to protect it from a presidential veto.
