Legislation to de-link Washington State from California vehicle emission standards, particularly those impacting heavy- and medium-duty trucks, was recently heard in the Senate Committee on Environment, Energy and Technology. AGC members Brett Ferullo (Northwest Construction) and Jeff Ten Pas (BAI Environmental Services) testified in support of the bill.
In 2020, the Washington Legislature directed the Department of Ecology to adopt California Air Resources Board (CARB) vehicle emission standards, which include the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rule. ACT mandates truck manufacturers to sell an increasing percentage of zero emission vehicles in Washington State. For model year 2025, 7% of Class 2b-3 trucks and Class 7-8 tractors, and 11% of Class 4-8 trucks sold by manufacturers must be electric vehicles. Those percentages increase every year so that by 2035, the percentages reach 55%, 40% and 75% respectively. The rules are already making it difficult to purchase new diesel trucks.
“Current diesel engine technology already eliminates 94-98% of all particulate and NOX pollutants,” Ferullo told the committee. “If we did nothing else except further implement the current diesel engine technology our air would be clean. So, let’s talk about the inevitable trade-offs. Class 8 trucks with a dump box cost about $300,000 and they drive 250-300 miles per tank. That is enough for a local company to operate their trucks for an 8–10-hour day. Class 8 EV trucks cost approximately $350,000 and will haul 15% less payload due to the weight of the battery. Moreover, given the hilly terrain we often encounter a battery charge will last for as little as 100 miles. As you can see, I will have to buy 2 trucks to replace the work of a current truck. What costs me $300,000 today for 8-10 hours of work will now cost over $700,000.”
TenPas told the committee, “We appreciate the goal of reducing carbon emissions, but the current policy will backfire. Because of the high cost of electric vehicles, companies will have to hold on to current fleets, which are less efficient than the newer, more efficient internal combustion engines. Plus, the cost of charging stations will be another cost for companies; this will be a challenge perhaps unattainable for smaller firms.”
It appears that Legislative leadership will not be moving the bill forward. While that is unfortunate, the hearing and attendant media coverage of it is raising the profile of the issue among the public and individual legislators. This momentum bodes well for de-linking from CARB in the next session if not this one.
For more information, contact AGC Chief Lobbyist Jerry VanderWood.