By Lauren Fix, The Car Coach
California Governor Gavin Newsom recently stated, “It’s a ‘Moral Obligation’ for California to ban diesel-powered trucks to rectify ‘Decades of Racist’ practices.”
How does that make any sense? It doesn’t!
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is considering new regulations to ban the sale of all diesel semi-trucks by 2040 to fight climate change and rectify a legacy of racist practices, according to a CARB report released on August 30th. The proposal would require medium and heavy-duty trucks entering ports and railyards to be fully electric by 2035. CARB believes that such freight vehicles should be banned because the diesel emissions that come from such vehicles disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities due to racist zoning policies.
The report stated that “Decades of racist and classist practices, including red-lining and siting decisions, have concentrated heavy-duty vehicle and freight activities in these communities, with leads to disproportionate pollution burdens,” the regulators stated. “CARB has legal and moral obligations to lessen these burdens.”
CARB must vote on the proposal to ban diesel semi-trucks on Oct. 27. The proposed regulations would also require state and local government vehicle fleets to be fully electric by 2027, according to the report.
Remember, 17 other states currently follow California’s emissions laws and this may be unconstitutional, but don’t be surprised if your state is next.
California passed a new regulation on August 25th that will require 100 percent of new cars sold in California by 2035 to be electric, up from the current 12 percent. Interim targets also require 35 percent of vehicles sold in the state by 2026 to produce zero emissions, rising to 68 percent by 2030.
California aims to enforce its rules by penalizing automakers up to $20,000 per vehicle if they fail to meet the state’s sales quotas. The state hopes that these measures will significantly raise the amount of EVs on the road which will help curb emissions and accelerate its ongoing green energy transition. This explains why car manufacturers have no choice but to produce electric cars even if they take a loss on each one.
In July, California truckers protested a new labor law that classified the state’s 70,000 independent owner-operators as employees of the shipping companies that they work alongside, rather than independent contractors. The bill forces truckers to either become employees beholden to company regulations or pay up to $20,000 out-of-pocket for permits and insurance to handle their own logistics and remain independent.
It is believable that diesel emissions disproportionately affect low-income communities located near ports. It is common sense that people with low-income have limited opportunity to relocate to more desirable neighborhoods. However, none of this is “racist.” What is racist is the California Air Resources Board when it makes the association between low-income and race.
Here is what will happen if California removes diesel vehicle from the roads: the supply chain will fail even further as diesel is used for long haul trucking and you can count on food, gasolines, and other goods not making it to market as quickly or not at all.
The opinions expressed in posts to the NMA Blog belong to the author and do not necessarily represent the National Motorists Association. The content of the NMA Blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. No representations are made regarding the accuracy of NMA Blog posts or links found within those posts.
Lauren Fix, The Car Coach®, is a nationally recognized automotive expert, analyst, author, and television host. A trusted car expert, Lauren provides an insider’s perspective on a wide range of automotive topics and aspects, energy, industry, consumer news, and safety issues.
Lauren is the CEO of Automotive Aspects and the Editor-in-Chief of Car Coach Reports, a global automotive news outlet. She is an automotive contributor to national and local television news shows, including Fox News, Fox Business, CNN International, The Weather Channel, Inside Edition, Local Now News, Community Digital News, and more. Lauren also co-hosts a regular show on ABC.com with Paul Brian called “His Turn – Her Turn” and hosts regular radio segments on USA Radio – DayBreak.
Lauren is honored to be inducted into the Women’s Transportation Hall of Fame and a Board Member of the Buffalo Motorcar Museum and Juror / President for the North American Car, Utility & Truck of the Year Awards.
Check her out on Twitter and Instagram @LaurenFix.
