CARB Updates its LCFS
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted 12 to 2 on November 8th in favor of revamping its Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). What does this mean for truckers in the Golden State?
Details
The vote comes on the heels of the 2024 presidential election, after news that Donald Trump would be returning to office, who said he has plans to remove CARB’s ability to independently set emission rules for California.
With Trump’s inauguration fewer than 100 days away, CARB is shifting into overdrive to get as much done as possible before the 47th president interferes.
The updates include additional funding for building vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure, as well as changing the rules associated with biomethane to make it more popular for renewable hydrogen use.
Perhaps most notable is the change to reduce the amount of carbon emissions from California’s transportation sector by 90%, part of which is still the plan to outlaw diesel truck operation in 2042.
CARB’s study on the impact of these changes, among others within the LCFS, will reduce the cost of electric vehicles while increasing the cost of operating fossil fuel-powered vehicles, incentivizing all Californians to switch.
In their study of the impacts, CARB predicts that these changes will cause the price of gasoline to rise 37 cents per gallon by 2030 while reducing the purchase cost of electric vehicles.
Beyond transportation, CARB estimates that Californians will save about $5 billion in healthcare costs associated with breathing polluted air in the next 18 years, averaging about $227 million per year.
Conclusion
With CARB voting for these changes with a strong majority, the only question that remains is to what extent the second Trump Administration will have the authority to stop CARB’s stated plans in its tracks.
There is no doubt that numerous lawsuits will arise in the feud between state’s rights and national governance, perhaps reaching all the way to the Supreme Court.
If things do not change, California trucking fleets will have to plan ahead for the complete shift away from diesel fuel in the upcoming two decades.
Regardless of what happens, it is for sure to be a wild ride.
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