Oregon Regulators Pause Zero Carbon Emission Truck Rules
Following the adoption of temporary Clean Truck Rules last week, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) commission has now delayed the implementation of the zero carbon emission truck rules to give manufacturers more time to develop engines that will meet the requirements for medium- and heavy-duty trucks.
Instead of taking effect in January 2025, the rules will now start in 2026.
Oregon Carbon Emission Truck Rules
Oregon is one of 10 states that have adopted California’s standards for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, generally used for commercial and long-haul transportation, to align these vehicles with California’s standards.
The DEQ’s updated temporary rules adopted last week will delay the dates on which medium and heavy-duty trucks must comply with stricter standards. This gives manufacturers more time to sell existing vehicles.
The DEQ’s transportation strategy section manager, Rachel Sakata, said the rules are intended to help the state achieve its greenhouse gas reduction goals while giving Oregonians more health benefits.
Sakata said, “When you replace a diesel vehicle with a zero-emission vehicle, you have no emissions coming out of the tailpipe, which is significant.”
The Clean Trucks Rules- called the Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Rules, require truck engine manufacturers to comply with stricter emission standards for particulate matter, nitrogen oxide pollution, or the combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles.
The DEQ indicated that the transportation sector contributes 35% to Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Oregon Clean Truck Rules Delayed To 2026
The Advanced Clean Truck Rules require manufacturers of medium to heavy-duty vehicles to sell a specific percentage of zero-emissions electric vehicles starting with the 2025 model year.
The temporary delay of the state’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks is due to several reasons, such as the limited number of qualifying medium- to heavy-duty engines available that meet the emissions standards.
These manufacturers now have three years instead of one to sell the regulated percentage, giving more flexibility to comply with the rule.
The rule extends the requirement until 2028. Sakata confirmed that the rules do not prohibit them from selling diesel vehicles as long as they still sell the required percentage of zero-emission vehicles.
To give the industry more time to catch up with the new technology, Oregon Trucking Association President Jana Jarvis said she would have liked to have seen both rules further delayed.
She said the currently available trucks are not meeting the industry’s needs and is concerned that people will hold on to their trucks longer rather than buying a zero-emission truck.
State Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, also called for a delay of both rules and said the delay would result in “very few, if any, new truck sales in Oregon.”
The temporary rules, including the delayed timeframes, will take effect on January 1 while the DEQ develops permanent rules over six months, which includes public engagement, a rules advisory committee, and input from medium and heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers.