New EPA rules to curb heavy-duty vehicle emissions starting with 2027 models

March 29 (UPI) -- New heavy-duty vehicles like freight trucks and buses will be subject to enhanced greenhouse gas pollution standards, the Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday.

The standard will apply to vehicles beginning in the 2027 model year, running through 2032 and will avoid producing 1 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions or the equivalent of the emissions from more than 13 million tanker trucks' worth of gasoline, according to the EPA.

"In finalizing these emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and buses, EPA is significantly cutting pollution from the hardest working vehicles on the road," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a statement released by the agency.

"Building on our recently finalized rule for light- and medium-duty vehicles, EPA's strong and durable vehicle standards respond to the urgency of the climate crisis by making deep cuts in emissions from the transportation sector."

The agency also estimates the new regulations will "provide $13 billion in annualized net benefits to society related to public health, the climate, and savings for truck owners and operators."

The third and final phase of the EPA's Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles aligns with its ​​Clean Trucks Plan announced in 2021. The agency's plan represents the most protective set of EPA regulations ever for the on-road sector.

The EPA unveiled the second phase of the standards in 2016.

The transportation sector is the single largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States with heavy-duty vehicles accounting for 25% of all emissions in that sector.

"EPA's standards complement President Biden's unprecedented investment in our workers and communities to reduce harmful emissions, while strengthening our manufacturing capacity for the transportation technologies of the future," national climate adviser Ali Zaidi said in the EPA statement issued Friday.

"By tackling pollution from heavy-duty vehicles, we can unlock extraordinary public health, climate, and economic gains."

The news is the latest move by President Joe Biden's administration to curb emissions generated by traditional combustion engines and promote green technology.

Earlier in March, the White House finalized a new EPA rule leaning heavily on the automotive sector to bring more electric and hybrid cars to market.

The new rule pushes the auto industry to have electric vehicles make up 56% of new cars or trucks entering the market with hybrids constituting another 13%.