Commentary: Albuquerque, NM - Joining a coalition of 12 attorneys general, Attorney General Hector Balderas today filed his strong opposition to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to repeal regulations that place strict emissions standards on highly polluting "glider" trucks. Known as the 2016 Glider Rule, the regulations mandate that most engines installed in “gliders” – new heavy-duty truck bodies outfitted with refurbished or rebuilt pre-2010 highly polluting engines – meet the same emissions standards applicable to all newly manufactured engines.
“If President Trump and his Environmental Protection Agency recklessly roll back a rule that protects the air our children, seniors and other vulnerable New Mexicans breathe, we are prepared to take any and all action to protect their health and all New Mexicans’ air quality,” Attorney General Hector Balderas said.
Gliders that do not comply with the 2016 Glider Rule produce 20 to 40 times more emissions of hazardous pollutants that are linked to asthma, low birth weight, infant mortality, and lung cancer. The EPA has estimated that a single year in which it allowed 10,000 additional gliders to be produced with non-compliant engines could result in up to 1,600 premature deaths, 415,000 tons of additional nitrogen oxide emissions, and 6,800 tons of additional particulate matter emissions. In New Mexico, and elsewhere, the rest of the trucking industry has already made substantial investments to comply with stringent emissions standards and would face an uneven playing field if forced to continue to compete against unregulated glider manufacturers who avoid such investments.
Joining Attorney General Balderas in filing today’s comments were the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Washington
Please see attached for today’s filing.