New York State Proposes Clean Truck Rule to Reduce Air Pollution, Improve Public Health

ALBANY, NY --  New York State announced the process to adopt the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule began today. The rule--which requires truck makers to produce an increasing number of clean, zero-emission trucks--will cut dangerous, polluting fossil fuel emissions throughout the state. Advocates recently submitted a letter to Governor Hochul asking her to support the rule because diesel trucks and buses produce air pollution that disproportionately impacts communities of color. The collective impacts of this pollution include increases in health symptoms, emergency room visits, hospital admissions, and premature deaths. New York State will hold a public hearing on the proposed ACT rule on November 9 and the public comment period will be open until November 17.

The following is a reaction from Kathy Harris, Clean Vehicles and Fuels Advocate at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“The final ACT rule will dramatically shift New York’s medium- and heavy-duty truck market away from dirty fossil fuels to zero-emission technology. Cleaning up tailpipe pollution from thousands of trucks on New York State’s roads is one of the best ways to improve the health of communities from Buffalo to Long Island. Simply put, Governor Hochul’s actions to adopt the ACT rule will put our state on the road to cleaner air and better health.”

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.