Michael Hart of San Diego was arrested on Monday and charged with smuggling greenhouse gases into the United States from Mexico and then selling them for profit. This is the first prosecution in the United States to include charges related to the American Innovation and Manufacturing Act of 2020 (AIM... Read more →

Made from a mixture of natural and synthetic rubber and plastic polymers, including other chemical components, tires represent a significant source of non-exhaust emissions. Tire abrasion is produced when there is friction with the road surface, for example when vehicles turn, accelerate or brake. Small particles break off from tires... Read more →

As reported by the CO2 refrigeration marketplace R744, the Volkswagen Group plans to convert all mobile air conditioning heat pumps in its battery electric vehicles (BEV) models to CO2 (R744) by 2030. The Group made the statement in a public comment submitted regarding the European PFAS Restriction Proposal. In 2023,... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tightened the annual health-based national ambient air quality standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 micrograms per cubic meter. Along with strengthening the primary annual PM2.5 standard, EPA is modifying the PM2.5 monitoring network... Read more →

Toyota Motor is temporarily suspending shipments of 10 vehicle models equipped with the diesel engines from Toyota Industries Corporation (TICO), which are suffering from “certification irregularities.” Toyota Motor had commissioned TICO to develop diesel engines for automobiles. A special investigation into potential irregularities of certification regulationsfound that irregularities occurred during... Read more →

The European Parliament and Council reached a provisional agreement on new measures to strengthen CO2 emission reduction targets for new heavy-duty vehicles. Negotiators agreed on CO2 emissions reduction targets of 45% for the period 2030-2034; 65% for 2035-2039; and 90% as of 2040, applying for large trucks (including vocational vehicles,... Read more →

Turkey-based TEMSA, a coach, bus, and light-truck manufacturer operating in 70 countries worldwide, is partnering with Minespider to collect key data, integrate Battery Passports and comply with the new EU Battery Regulation. Minespider is a technology company offering a blockchain-based platform for tracking supply chain data and creating more sustainable... Read more →

Cummins reached an agreement in principle with the United States and State of California to pay a $1.675-billion penalty to settle claims that it violated the Clean Air Act by installing emissions defeat devices on 630,000 model year 2013 to 2019 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines. The Clean... Read more →

Canada finalized its new Electric Vehicle Availability Standard in support of achieving its national target of 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2035. Interim targets are at least 20% of all sales by 2026, and at least 60% by 2030. The regulations define ZEVs as battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) fueled only with... Read more →

The European Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the Euro 7 regulation for the type-approval of motor vehicles and engines, and of the systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, with respect to their emissions and battery durability. The new regulation sets rules... Read more →

Connecticut’s Governor Ned Lamont and Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) withdrew from consideration by the state’s Legislative Regulation Review Committee (LRRC) the proposed Advanced Clean Cars II regulations that would have aligned the state with California ZEV regulations. (Earlier post.) The Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation... Read more →

The rapid adoption of zero-emission electric vehicles will move the nation close to an 80% or more drop in transportation greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 from the 2019 level according to researchers from the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). An open-access paper on the work is... Read more →

RIZON, the newest brand of Daimler Truck, which is offering all-electric class 4 and 5 medium-duty trucks for the US market, has achieved full homologation in the United States, clearing the way for the sale of the electric trucks nationwide. Daimler Truck launched its new electric truck brand in May... Read more →

RIZON, the newest brand of Daimler Truck commercial vehicles (earlier post), has achieved full homologation in the United States, clearing the way for the sale of its Class 4 and 5 medium-duty electric trucks nationwide. With series production underway, the first shipments of vehicles are now arriving in California, where... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) recently reached settlement agreements with several companies for violations of the Aftermarket Parts Regulation as part of its robust and ongoing enforcement efforts to uphold California’s air quality rules. The cases included a settlement agreement with Meyer Distributing Inc. of Jasper, Ind. for $564,250.... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board CARB) released a report showing that truck manufacturers are exceeding targeted sales of zero-emissions vehicles and are now two years ahead of schedule. The annual report tracks how manufacturers are achieving CARB’s regulation that established a phased-in transition toward the sale of 100% zero-emissions medium-... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Justice announced a modification to a 2015 consent decree today between the United States and state of Michigan and the Cleveland-Cliffs Steel Corporation (formerly AK Steel) to resolve Clean Air Act violations at the company’s Dearborn, Michigan, steel manufacturing... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its final determination that emissions of lead from aircraft that operate on leaded fuel cause or contribute to air pollution which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act. This final endangerment finding does not ban... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) received authorization from the US EPA under the Clean Air Act for its 2020 At-Berth Regulation, which further reduces pollution from ocean-going vessels while docked at California’s busiest ports. (Earlier post.) The new regulation was passed by the CARB Board in 2020 and adds... Read more →

In 2012, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the Advanced Clean Cars I (ACC I) regulations. These regulations include the LEV III regulation for criteria pollutants (LEV III Criteria), GHG (LEV III GHG) emissions, and the ZEV regulation and combine the control of smog-causing (criteria) pollutants and GHG emissions... Read more →

In federal court in Brooklyn, the US. Department of Justice, on behalf of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), filed a complaint against eBay Inc. for unlawfully selling, offering for sale, causing the sale of, and distributing hundreds of thousands of products in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA);... Read more →

The US Department of the Interior-led Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting (IWG) released its final report containing recommendations to reform and improve the way mining is conducted on US. public lands. The report will inform efforts to modernize the Mining Law of 1872 and related federal... Read more →

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) approved a new law to increase the uptake of sustainable fuels, such as advanced biofuels or hydrogen, in the aviation sector. The RefuelEU aviation rules are part of the “Fit for 55 package”, the EU’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement agreement with American Honda Motor Corp., Inc. of Torrance for $7.9 million for violations of CARB’s small off-road engine (SORE) air quality regulations. This is the third SORE enforcement action against Honda in the past four years. Previously, CARB settled cases... Read more →

In the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (Arctic Refuge), US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland has authorized the cancellation of the remaining seven oil and gas leases issued by the previous administration in the Coastal Plain. The leases were suspended in June 2021 following the issuance of Secretary’s Order (S.O.)... Read more →

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a new review of the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). EPA Administrator Michael Regan reached this decision after considering advice provided by the independent Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). EPA established the current standards at a level of 70 parts per... Read more →

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announced a massive expansion of the scrappage scheme to every Londoner affected by the imminent ULEZ expansion, along with a number of other significant changes. In November 2022, Khan announced the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) (earlier post) London-wide (earlier post).... Read more →

Member States of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), meeting at the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) earlier this month, adopted the 2023 IMO Strategy on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships. The revised IMO GHG Strategy includes an enhanced common ambition to reach net-zero GHG emissions from international shipping... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and US Department of Energy (DOE) are partnering to provide more than $1 billion in funding to help reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector through the creation of the Methane Emissions Reduction Program. This collaboration will leverage EPA and DOE’s shared... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would require heavy vehicles to have automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that will mitigate the frequency and severity of rear-end crashes. An AEB system... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that establishes the biofuel volume requirements for 2023 to 2025. The final rule also discusses EPA’s intent to monitor the ongoing implementation of the RFS program and its impacts on domestic refineries. The... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopted the Advanced Clean Fleets rule (earlier post), which will require a phased-in transition to zero-emission medium-and-heavy duty vehicles. While trucks represent only 6% of the vehicles on California’s roads, they account for more than 35% of the state’s transportation-generated nitrogen oxide emissions and... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced two new proposed federal emissions standards spanning light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for model year 2027 and beyond. EPA projects that the proposed standards would avoid nearly 10 billion tons of CO2 emissions—equivalent to more than twice the total US CO2 emissions in... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing a significant revision in its procedures for calculating a value for the petroleum-equivalent fuel economy of EVs for use in the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program administered by the Department of Transportation (DOT). The change, petitioned for by the Natural Resources... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is granting two waivers of preemption regarding four California Air Resource Board (CARB) regulations related to California’s heavy-duty vehicle and engine emission standards. Under the Clean Air Act, California is afforded broad discretion to adopt emissions requirements to meet its significant air quality challenges,... Read more →

University of California, Riverside (UCR) environmental engineers will soon serve as referees in California’s drive for heavy-duty trucks to meet the state’s tailpipe emission standards. The referee program will provide testing services for vehicles potentially operating with tampered emissions control systems and/or testability issues. Operating under the California Air Resources... Read more →

The German government and the EU Commission reached agreement on the inclusion of internal combustion engines fueled by CO2-neutral fuels—eFuels—late Friday evening. The agreement clears the way for the adoption of the 100% zero emissions limits for 2035. (Earlier post.) Early in March, Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport Dr. Volker... Read more →

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached provisional political agreement on green shipping fuels regulations. The main objective of the FuelEU Maritime initiative, as a key part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, is to increase the demand for and consistent use of renewable and low-carbon... Read more →

A global Automotive Manufacturing Outlook survey commissioned by ABB Robotics and industry publication Automotive Manufacturing Solutions found that more than half (59%) of respondents believe the shift to pure electric vehicle production is not achievable within current legislative timelines. The respondents surveyed highlighted challenges in adapting to a new battery... Read more →

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced that the state will initiate the process to adopt Advanced Clean Cars II. The NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will begin considering the potential adoption of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulation implemented by the California Air Resources Board. If adopted,... Read more →

The European Parliament approved the new CO2 emissions reduction targets for new passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, part of the “Fit for 55” package. With 340 votes in favor, 279 against and 21 abstentions, MEPs endorsed the deal reached with the Council on revised CO2 emission performance standards for... Read more →

The European Commission has proposed new CO2 emissions targets for new heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) from 2030 onwards. The Commission proposes phasing in stronger CO2 emissions standards for almost all new HDVs with certified CO2 emissions, compared to 2019 levels, specifically: 45% emissions reductions from 2030; 65% emission reductions from 2035;... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a proposal to to revise the primary (health-based) annual PM2.5 standard from its current level of 12.0 µg/m3 to within the range of 9.0 to 10.0 µg/m3. EPA is taking comment on the full range (between 8 and 11 10 µg/m3) included in... Read more →

Piedmont Lithium (earlier post) has amended its earlier agreement with Tesla to supply the US automaker with spodumene concentrate (SC6) from North American Lithium (NAL). North American Lithium is a brownfield open pit mining and spodumene concentrator operation in Québec owned 75% by Australia-based Sayona Mining and 25% by Piedmont.... Read more →

California’s Truck and Bus regulation (earlier post) has been in effect since December 2008, with the purpose of reducing emissions of diesel particulate matter (PM), oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and other criteria pollutants from in-use diesel-fueled vehicles. Under the regulation, 1 January 2023 marked the final deadline to replace or... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized more stringent NOx emissions limits for model year 2027 and later heavy-duty engines and vehicles. Relative to current rules, the new standards are more than 80% stronger, increase useful life of governed vehicles by 1.5–2.5 times, and will yield emissions warranties that are... Read more →

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, will expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) (earlier post) London-wide. The expansion will come into effect on 29 August 2023 and will operate across all London boroughs up to the existing Low Emission Zone boundary for large and heavy vehicles. On 8 April... Read more →

The European Commission presented its proposal for Euro 7 standards to reduce air pollution from new motor vehicles sold in the EU. While CO2 emission rules will drive the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, it is important to ensure that all vehicles on European roads are much cleaner, the EC said.... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responding to petitions from the California Air Resources Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association to address harmful nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions from locomotives. EPA adopted its first regulation... Read more →

In an open-access report in the journal Environmental Pollution, researchers from UCLA and the University of Chicago estimate that California’s wildfire carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions from 2020 (~127 mmt CO2e ) are approximately two times higher than California’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions since 2003. Without considering future... Read more →