Zeldin confirmed to lead EPA
With new leadership at the EPA, the trucking industry said it is hopeful for a “commonsense” approach.
Lee Zeldin was confirmed on Wednesday, Jan. 29 to serve as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 17th administrator. The Senate voted 56-42 in favor of the former Republican congressman from New York.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association said it looks forward to working with Zeldin to create practical policies for small-business truckers.
“OOIDA and the 150,000 small-business truckers we represent congratulate Administrator Lee Zeldin on his confirmation to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said in a statement. “Small-business truckers, who make up 96% of trucking, have faced an uncertain future in recent years from top-down environmental regulations and mandates. We look forward to working with Administrator Zeldin on commonsense environmental policies that consider the local mom-and-pop trucking businesses that keep America’s supply chain running.”
The American Trucking Associations also showed support for Zeldin’s confirmation.
“The trucking industry congratulates Administrator Zeldin on his confirmation, and we look forward to the restoration of common sense in our nation’s environmental policies under his leadership of EPA,” ATA President Chris Spear said in a statement. “Over the past several years, the mad dash to zero and a patchwork of unachievable mandates on unrealistic timelines have posed a grave threat to the trucking industry, the supply chain and our economy. The enormous price tag of this haphazard transition would have significantly raised costs for American consumers without delivering the promised environmental benefits.”
Electric vehicles
The trucking industry had numerous concerns about the previous administration’s push toward electric vehicles.
“This unworkable mandate ignores operational realities and places a costly burden on trucking companies,” Taki Darakos, a vice president at Pitt Ohio, said during a House subcommittee hearing in April 2024. “Although battery-electric trucks show promise in certain applications, it is apparent they are not ready for broad deployment due to technology limitations.”
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order going after electric vehicle regulations. Learn what the order could mean for the implementation of Advanced Clean Trucks by clicking here. LL