Colorado adopts new zero-emission big truck rules
Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission has adopted two rules to push the trucking industry to embrace zero-emission trucks.
The commission adopted two rules, the Advanced Clean Trucks rule and the Low NOx Truck rule. The Colorado Health Department Air Pollution Control Division developed and recommended the rules to the commission
The Advanced Clean Trucks rule sets a sales standard for manufacturers to make more zero-emission trucks available in Colorado, according to a statement from the commission. The rule takes effect starting with model year 2027, and the sales standard percentage grows incrementally through model year 2035. This rule will only apply to manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. It does not affect farming equipment or off-road construction equipment. The sales standard does not require Colorado businesses or consumers to purchase a zero-emission truck.
The Low NOx Truck rule sets more stringent air pollution emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles, improves testing requirements for engines, and extends warranties. It takes effect for trucks starting with model year 2027. NOx refers to nitrogen oxide, which form ground-level ozone pollution when they react with other pollutants in heat and sunlight. Most trucks run on diesel, which generates more nitrogen oxide emissions than vehicles that run on gas. The rule lowers the nitrogen oxide emission standard for new vehicles by 90% compared to the current standard.
The commission also altered its large entity reporting rule, which applies only to operators with 20 or more trucks. It now is expected to collect data twice. The first deadline is Nov. 30, 2024. The second deadline is Dec. 31, 2027. The data is expected to be made available to the public.
The zero-emission truck rules are intended to help meet the goals of the Colorado Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Roadmap announced in January 2021. The state legislature in 2019 set goals to reduce 2025 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26%, 2030 emissions by at least 50%, and 2050 emissions by at least 90% of the levels of statewide greenhouse gas emissions that existed in 2005.
The commission reports help is available to help with the upfront costs of lowering truck emissions.
The federal government offers a Commercial Clean Vehicle Credit for businesses that buy qualified clean-air trucks. The maximum credit is $40,000 per qualified vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds. It is $7,500 for qualified vehicles rated less than 14,000 pounds.
Colorado also is positioned to access significant federal funding to assist in deployment and reduce up-front costs for zero-emission trucks, the Air Pollution Control Division said in a statement.
Colorado is the eighth state to follow California’s lead in adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which requires manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to sell an increasing percentage of zero-emission models in the coming years. LL
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