WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bernie Moreno, a former auto dealer turned politician, is introducing legislation that would repeal emissions rules and give tax breaks to car manufacturers.
The Transportation Freedom Act
“The Transportation Freedom Act would roll back costly electric truck mandates, eliminate arbitrary state emissions waivers and restore a balanced regulatory framework for the trucking industry,” the American Trucking Associations (ATA) said.
According to the bill one-sheet, “the act provides a bold, pro-America, pro-worker solution to revitalize auto manufacturing and restore fairness in emissions regulations.”
Key Provisions:
Support for American Auto Manufacturing
- Provides a 200% tax deduction for American auto workers and supports and encourages job creation in the U.S. It will ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in vehicle innovation, design and manufacture centered here at home.
Common-Sense Emissions Standards
- Repeals the EPA’s extreme ‘Tailpipe Rule,’ which would mandate that 67% of all new cars be electric by 2032, regardless of consumer demand or affordability.
- Eliminates burdensome emissions rules for heavy-duty trucks, protecting supply chains and working-class industries.
- Ends arbitrary CAFE fuel economy standards that require manufacturers to build vehicles the consumers simply do not want.
- Provides a 180-day window for Cafe Standards and Greenhouse Gas Emissions to be replaced with tough but achievable standards reflecting market ready technology and industry consultation. Current regulatory improvements assume technologies that don’t even exist.
One National Standard – No More California and other State-by-State Waivers
- Prevents California and other states from dictating national emissions policy and forcing costly regulations which increase the cost of cars for all American drivers.
- Revokes California’s zero-emission vehicle mandate, ensuring all Americans— not just California politicians—have a say in our country’s transportation future. Ensuring Predictability in Regulations
- Mandates stable emissions and fuel economy standards from 2027-2035, providing a 10-year regulatory roadmap for automakers. For perspective, the average time from conception to certification for a car takes 7 years.
- Ensures standards are based on real-world feasibility and affordability, not government mandates disconnected from consumer demand.
- Requires input from manufacturers, energy producers, and consumers, instead of bureaucrats pushing a political agenda.
The Transportation Freedom Act puts American workers, consumers and innovation first by strengthening domestic auto manufacturing and ensuring Americans—not Washington—decide what they drive, according to the bill one sheet.
“By restoring regulatory stability, this bill promotes real competition and investment, bringing back the golden age of American automobiles,” the bill one sheet said. “This bill puts American workers and consumers first by restoring fairness, boosting investment, and ensuring the U.S. leads the world in auto innovation.”
Fair Share
Earlier this month, other legislators put forth the Fair SHARE Act which would impose one-time fees on electric vehicles (EVs) to ensure EVs contribute to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) as internal combustion vehicles do.
Trucking Industry Support
According to the ATA the legislation includes key provisions that it has actively supported. It includes the repealing of the Phase 3 greenhouse gas standards, which mandate the sale of electric trucks, and the elimination of California’s ability to set de facto national emissions policy. These changes represent a critical step towards ensuring that future regulations are achievable, technology-neutral, and do not jeopardize the stability of America’s supply chain.
“Sixty trucks today emit the same amount as one truck manufactured in 1988,” said Chris Spear,ATA president, CEO. “The trucking industry has proven our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint, but in recent years, some regulators have turned their backs on the collaborative model that made this monumental progress possible.
“The trucking industry commends Senator Bernie Moreno for introducing the Transportation Freedom Act, which would restore commonsense at EPA and put an end to states like California creating a patchwork of unachievable timelines and targets. His legislation will prevent price hikes for consumers, allow innovation to flourish, and foster achievable national standards that put us back on the path to lowering emissions without causing supply chain disruptions.”
Trucks of Today
Trucks today produce 99% fewer nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions than those on the road decades ago, and new trucks cut carbon emissions by over 40 percent compared to a truck manufactured in 2010, according to the ATA. As a result, 60 of today’s trucks emit what just one truck did in 1988.
The trucking industry supported the Environmental Protection Agency’s Phase 1 and Phase 2 greenhouse gas regulations and worked collaboratively with the agency to set aggressive but achievable emission reduction goals on reasonable timelines. EPA’s Phase 3 rule marked a sharp departure from this successful partnership, setting unrealistic adoption rates for battery-electric trucks. Waivers EPA granted to California for its onerous Advanced Clean Trucks and Omnibus NOx rules added further complexity and set the trucking industry up for failure, according to the ATA.
According to a study commissioned by the Clean Freight Coalition, full electrification of the U.S. commercial truck fleet would require nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone. A report by the American Transportation Research Institute identified the many challenges related to U.S. electricity supply and demand, electric vehicle production and truck charging requirements.
Read a one-pager on the Transportation Freedom Act HERE. Read the text of the bill HERE.
Dana Guthrie is an award-winning journalist who has been featured in multiple newspapers, books and magazines across the globe. She is currently based in the Atlanta, Georgia, area.
