BOULDER, Colo. (Feb. 12, 2025) – A diverse set of more than 100 environmental, health, and public interest groups today sent an open letter calling on governors across the U.S. to maintain support for clean trucks policies, amidst backlash from some corners of the trucking industry. The Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) standards are poised to create billions of dollars in economic, environmental, and public health benefits in the 11 states that have adopted the program.
The ACT standards would require manufacturers of trucks, buses, and vans to offer a gradually increasing proportion of zero-emission vehicles to participating states. The ACT standards do not ban diesel vehicles or force customers to purchase electric trucks. The program gives manufacturers lead time and flexibility to bring cleaner vehicles to market, and ensures purchasers can access a thriving market with a variety of affordable models of clean trucks and buses to consider.
According to a Clean Air Task Force analysis of EPA data, diesel pollution in the U.S. was responsible for more than 8,800 premature deaths in 2023 alone, and costs Americans a cumulative $97.9 billion in health damages and more than 516,700 lost days of work each year.
“As the new administration attacks federal policies that protect our environment and improve our health, it’s critical for state leaders to stand strongly in defense of the Advanced Clean Trucks rules,” said Aaron Kressig, Transportation Electrification Manager at Western Resource Advocates. “The states that have committed to ACT will see significant economic benefits and a reduction of dangerous tailpipe emissions that harm the lungs of our most vulnerable citizens. The states that adopted ACT should stay the course – and others should follow their example.”
Vans, trucks, and buses contribute disproportionately to air pollution, accounting for 23% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions despite representing just 5% of on-road vehicles in the United States. These trucks travel significantly more miles, with Class 8 semi-trucks traveling more than four times the vehicle miles traveled of the average passenger car. This amount of activity, and the resulting tailpipe emissions, cause significant harm to our communities and our environment, particularly within frontline communities that are more likely to live near major trucking corridors and tend to be lower-income, people of color, or both. The chemicals in diesel exhaust are known to increase the risk of heart attacks and cardiac events, cancer, asthma and other lung diseases, developmental delays, and other acute health impacts.
“The United States shouldn’t be the last person in town selling horseshoes while the global market races towards electric vehicles,” said Guillermo Ortiz, Senior Clean Vehicles Advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “The Advanced Clean Trucks standards are our roadmap to reclaim global leadership in clean transportation — not by clinging to legacy technologies but by outpacing the world in innovation. The states that have adopted ACT aren’t just setting targets; they’re forging a blueprint to save lives, create the industries of tomorrow, and prioritize communities long burdened by pollution. The future isn’t inherited; it’s built. Let’s make sure more states join this race — because the world isn’t waiting, and neither should we.”
Many of the states that have adopted the ACT rule already have funding in place to incentivize the purchase of zero-emission vehicles. For example, New Jersey’s Clean Fleet EV Program provides grants to help public and nonprofit fleet operators deploy charging infrastructure for electric trucks and buses. Washington provides clean alternative fuel vehicle tax credits to help businesses deploy zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The tax credit covers up to 75% or $100,000 of the cost of heavy-duty vehicles, and also funds vehicle leases.
“The clean truck industry is growing rapidly, and states that have adopted the Advanced Clean Trucks rule are poised to be among the first to benefit from this transition,” said Jordan Stutt, CALSTART’s Senior Director for the Northeast Region. “Embracing policies that support clean truck deployment will bring new jobs, cleaner air, and vital investment in truck charging infrastructure. The industry is relying on policymakers in every ACT state to stand strong and continue to move forward with implementation of this clean trucks policy.”
Extensive government and private sector analysis demonstrates that the ACT standard produces significant economic and public health benefits. For example, implementation of ACT in New Mexico and Colorado is estimated to create more than $23.9 billion combined in cumulative net societal benefits through 2050. There are already more than 6,800 zero-emission vehicles registered in these two neighboring states alone.