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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2025 - 2026
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | December 1, 2024 06:27 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Rosemary M. Brown |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Near Zero Emission Truck Incentive Program |
| In the near future, I plan to re-introduce legislation, similar to Senate Bill 1348 of 2023-24 Legislative session, to create the Near Zero Emission Truck Incentive Program, a grant program administered by the Department of Transportation (PennDOT), in consultation with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), to reduce air pollution from heavy duty diesel vehicles in Pennsylvania. The federal government took steps to tightly regulate heavy duty truck emissions between the model years 2007 and 2010 by requiring the standardization of selective catalytic reduction and diesel particulate filters. As a result, a truck that was sold in 2006 emits roughly 10 times the amount of NOx and particulate matter as a truck sold today. Due to various market-driven factors, 34% of trucks registered in Pennsylvania are pre-2010 model trucks, which do not contain the latest emissions components. These trucks contribute the majority of emissions from the trucking industry in the state. The proposed grant program will lead to the replacement of these trucks with newer, much cleaner trucks, resulting in lower emissions from the trucking industry and cleaner air for all. Moreover, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research is clear that the older the truck, the higher the accident fatality rate. The addition of multiple standard safety technologies by original equipment manufacturers in post-2010 will directly save lives in Pennsylvania. This legislation will require PennDOT and DEP to apply for federal funds available for the purpose of reducing pollution. With these funds, PennDOT will provide a grant to incentivize the purchase of model year 2010 or later trucks to be titled and registered in Pennsylvania, if accompanied by a trade-in of a pre-2010 diesel truck that is also titled and registered in Pennsylvania but shall be prohibited from being titled or registered again in this state. No other single technology transfer can affect Pennsylvania’s air quality and provide immediate health benefits as much as replacing pre-2010 trucks with post 2010 models. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation. If you have any questions regarding this legislation, please contact Christine Zubeck in my office at 717-787-6123 or czubeck@pasen.gov. Thank you for your consideration. |