Biden floats plan for zero-emissions trucking by 2040

WASHINGTON (CN) — Aiming to make the long-haul trucking industry green, the Biden administration on Tuesday released its strategy to create a network of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling stations for freight vehicles.

The strategy was jointly released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy and Transportation departments. The agencies say their goal is to create an affordable, convenient charging and refueling network for zero emission trucks by 2040.

President Joe Biden’s climate adviser Ali Zaidi described the plan Tuesday as “a big move to deliver environmental justice.” He noted that 75% of heavy truck traffic travels on just 4% of America’s roads, creating pollution that harms vulnerable communities.

“President Biden’s historic investments in zero-emission infrastructure on those high-traffic roads and the hubs they connect will rapidly transform freight transport in the U.S. and strengthen American innovation,” Zaidi said in a statement. “Through the president’s whole-of-government strategy, this administration is delivering a win-win-win for frontline communities who will benefit from cleaner air, businesses that will save millions on fuel costs, and for our climate.”

Divided into four phases, the strategy is designed “to meet freight truck and technology markets where they are today,” but also help businesses lessen greenhouse gas emissions and meet sustainability goals as they expand their electric and hydrogen-fueled vehicle fleets in the coming years. 

“A core objective of the strategy is, determine where they are likely to develop next, and set an ambitious pathway that mobilizes actions to achieve decarbonization,” the the agencies say in the plan.

During the first phase, from 2024 to 2027, officials will establish the locations of priority hubs based on freight-hauling volumes. These would establish roughly 12,000 miles of zero emissions corridors along interstates 5, 10, 25, 75, 80 and 95. In the second phase, from 2027 to 2030, the focus will be to connect hubs along I-5, serving all ports along the West Coast, I-10 from California to Florida through the Southwest, major segments of I-95 on the East Coast, I-80 through the Midwest and I-70 from Pittsburgh to St. Louis.

The third phase, from 2030 to 2035, will expand these corridor connections into more than 37,000 miles of networks. And the fourth and final phase, from 2035 to 2040, will focus on linking regional corridors to create a national network.

Funding will come from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with direct investments to areas with significant air pollution if officials there create policies to encourage zero-emission fueling. 

Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm noted Tuesday that reducing pollution was one of the main objectives of this strategy.

“For over a century, petroleum-fueled freight has transported vital food and resources to American families but at the same time, these vehicles have also contributed to lower public health, especially in densely populated communities,” Granholm said.

Earthjustice legislative representative Athena Motavvef applauded the plan to help such communities, which are often those of color and low-income, that happen to be located around freight corridors. 

“Diesel pollution associated with freight trucks has real health impacts, including asthma and other respiratory issues that disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities living close to freight corridors,” Motavvef said, adding the environmental advocacy group urged caution on the decision to include hydrogen as part of a its pollution reduction strategy. 

“Electrifying cars, trucks, and buses is a better approach to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants than deploying hydrogen,” Motavvef said. 

The plan confronts head-on an industry that, according to Federal Highway Administration head Shailen Bhatt, “contributes approximately 23% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. transportation sector.”

In the United States, the American Trucking Association estimated in 2022 that trucks moved more than 11 billion tons of freight each year, an amount that made up more than 80% of the nation’s freight bill. The EPA found in 2021 that the transportation sector was responsible for about 29% of greenhouse gas emissions throughout the country. 

David Fialkov, the executive vice president of government affairs for the National Association of Truck Stop Owners (NATSO) and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA) spoke favorably of the plan, saying it recognizes effective trucking industry upgrades would need to “impose minimal disruption on how businesses operate today.”

"Many challenges exist to electrifying commercial trucks, including electricity generation and access as well as the need for fuel retailers to generate a return on investment,” said Fiakov in a statement. “We appreciate that the Biden administration has recognized some of these concerns and appears to have developed an iterative and thoughtful approach to directing investment in a medium and heavy-duty charging network.”

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