Diesel exhaust fumes are the most foul tailpipe emissions on the road, as anyone stuck in traffic behind an ageing bus or 18-wheeler can attest. But researchers have gathered overwhelming evidence that the fumes are more than just unpleasant; diesel emissions contribute to asthma, heart disease, cancer and a host of other ills. Diesel-powered trucks are also major contributors to lung-searing smog, and their emissions are loaded with climate-altering soot and gases that contribute to global warming.
That research undergirds the increasingly strict emissions standards that air quality regulators have been imposing on new trucks sold in the United States over the last 15 years. The newest standards to make trucks more fuel efficient and cut greenhouse gas emissions were adopted by the US Environmental Protection Agency last year.
But never mind public health and science. President Trump’s EPA is trying to reopen a loophole that would let truckers avoid all those pesky and costly clean-air requirements by putting old, dirty engines in new truck bodies. Last month, the EPA proposed waiving the clean truck standards for these so-called glider kits. A final decision is expected next year.
.............................. (중략)
(Editorial by the Los Angeles Times)