- California Air Resources Board adopts their biggest pollution- cutting regulations in more than a decade, which will take effect from 2023.
- Regulations to create stringent emission standards for diesel trucks and cargo ships.
- As a result, Risk of cancer from ship pollution to reduce drastically and save around 2.4 million residents living along the coast.
- Emission of Nitrogen Oxides from trucks to reduce by 90% by 2027.
Based on an article published by The Splash and LA Times, surging levels of pollution in the state of California, majorly caused by diesel trucks and cargo ships spewed much of the state’s health-damaging pollution.
Two Big Polluters
The state’s Air Resources Board brought in new rules that will create stringent emissions standards for diesel trucks, and require more ships docked at ports to plug into electric power or use scrubbers.
The measures are part of a multiyear push to clean up freight-moving industries that are both a lifeblood of California’s economy and its dominant source of harmful pollution.
Diesel trucks emit nearly one-third of smog-forming nitrogen oxides and more than one-quarter of diesel particulate matter in the state. Oceangoing ships are projected to surpass trucks to become Southern California’s largest source of nitrogen oxides by 2023.
“We’re going after the two big polluters within port complexes and goods movement across the state,” Air Resources Board member Hector De La Torre said.
Effects Of The New Measures
The new ship pollution measures will reduce the cancer risk for about 2.4m residents living around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, the Air Resources Board claimed.
The new trucking standards, meanwhile, would reduce allowable emissions of nitrogen oxides from new trucks by 90% by 2027, which the board claims is the equivalent of taking 16m cars off the road. That’s nearly two-thirds of 26 million light-duty vehicles currently operating in California.
Health Benefits
Curbing those emissions will prevent about 3,900 early deaths and 3,150 hospitalizations, according to the air board, which valued health benefits of the standards at nearly $37 billion, far outweighing the $4.5 billion it will cost engine manufacturers to meet them.
California vs Nation
Both measures have come in for attack as regionalising the emissions debate – and potentially putting California’s gateway status in danger.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced in 2018 that it would pursue new nationwide emissions standards to clean nitrogen oxide emissions from trucks, but has lagged behind schedule and is not expected to unveil its proposal until after the November election.
California air board officials said they have worked with the EPA and negotiated for years with manufacturers but could not justify further delay because of the severity of California’s air pollution.
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