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Democrats are moving to block Hochul’s ‘nearly impossible’ clean truck mandate requiring heavy-duty trucks to be emissions free.
State Democratic lawmakers are trying to pump the brakes on the Hochul administration’s “nearly impossible” green-energy rule requiring more new large trucks to be emissions-free. [emphasis, links added]
The proposal, pushed by state Sen. Jeremy Coney Cooney (D-Rochester) and Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo (D-Binghamton), would postpone the start of the Democratic governor’s edict until at least Jan. 1, 2027.
Hochul’s recent “Advanced Clean Trucks” rule requires manufacturers of vehicles greater than 8,500 pounds to sell an increasing number of zero-emission vehicles in New York, starting with a 7% zero emissions sales percentage in 2025 and ramping up every model year through 2035, to 40% for tractor sales and up to 75% for other trucks.
The legislators said the green edict promoting electric and even hydrogen-powered trucks is wreaking havoc on an important industry.
An average diesel truck can be refilled in about 10 minutes and can drive for about 2,000 miles. …
“Unfortunately, the ACT regulations are nearly impossible for the trucking industry to comply with because of a lack of truck charging infrastructure, cost factors, and other challenges,” Lupardo said in a memo supporting her bill.
“Battery charging times are also a challenge and will remain so until new technology emerges and is commercialized,” she said.
The legislators noted that an average diesel truck can be refilled in about 10 minutes and can drive for about 2,000 miles.
By comparison, an electric zero-emission heavy-duty truck takes approximately 10 hours to charge and can run for about 500 miles.
The cost of electric heavy-duty trucks can average up to three times more than diesel-fueled trucks, too, the lawmakers claim.
“As we transition to a clean energy future, there is no point in putting an entire industry at risk in the process,” the lawmakers said.
But a coalition of nine environmental groups issued a statement opposing the proposed rule delay, calling it a scare campaign being fanned by diesel pollution-spewing truck manufacturers. …snip…
Hochul’s office declined to comment on the pending legislation.
Spokesman Paul DeMichele only said in a statement, “The governor doesn’t intend to punitively penalize the path to a better future—we can and will do this together.”
… An electric zero-emission heavy-duty truck takes approximately 10 hours to charge and can run for about 500 miles.
Hochul also is being urged to slow down the timeline forcing New Yorkers to switch from gas-powered cars to emission-free electric ones.
It’s just the latest spat over New York’s green energy and climate-change laws.
A coalition of business and fossil fuel trade groups recently filed a federal suit against the Hochul administration over a law that will force oil, natural gas, and coal companies to pay a staggering $75 billion for spewing carbon emissions.
Overall, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) of 2019 requires the state and its energy producers and consumers to move away from fossil fuels by slashing gas emissions by 40% by 2030 to achieve 100% zero-carbon-emission electricity by 2040.
Hochul and the Democratic-led legislature have also banned gas stoves, furnaces, and propane heating in new buildings.
In December, Hochul extended the state’s fracking ban by prohibiting a new technique to use carbon dioxide to extract natural gas, too.
Read full post at NY Post
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