Truckers: Proposed air regulations unaffordable
If California's Air Resources Board has its way and adopts strict new regulations to reduce emissions from diesel trucks, Bakersfield truck driver Jim Ehoff says it'll spell doom for an already depressed trucking industry.
"It's going to put a lot of people out of business. If you don't need a trucking company, you're not going to need a driver," said Ehoff.
The Air Resources Board votes on Dec. 11 and 12 on landmark regulations. If adopted, the rules would require truck owners to install exhaust filters on their rigs starting in 2010.
The rules also would require long-haul truckers to equip their vehicles with fuel-efficient tires and aerodynamic devices that lower greenhouse gas emissions and improve fuel economy.
But local truckers say they can't afford the added cost to comply with the proposed regulations.
"My company alone is looking at a $2 million cost over and above what we budget for, what we anticipated for," said Daniel Mairs, president of Cox Petroleum Export.
California has the dirtiest air in the country. A study by California State University Fullerton cites the Los Angeles basin and the San Joaquin Valley as having the highest levels of pollution.
Diesel emissions are toxic, associated with cancer and can also exacerbate cardiovascular and respiratory ailments.
"One of the last things we can afford to do is wait; the health impacts from emissions from trucks and buses is significant throughout the state," said Eric White with the Air Resources Board.
The trucking industry is proposing an alternate plan that delays compliance and allows for a more gradual phase of cleaner trucks.
