17 www.ortrucking.org Issue 4 | 2024 Oregon Delays Implementation of Omnibus NOx Rule Advanced Clean Truck Rule still expected to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2025 By Jennifer Sitton | OTA Communications Consultant THE OREGON DEPARTMENT of Environmental Quality announced in October that it would delay its upcoming omnibus NOx rule that would enact stricter emission standards for new heavyduty vehicles until 2026 due to a shortage of new trucks with engines that meet the standards. The rule was set to go into effect in January 2025 and would have required that new diesel trucks, buses, and vans sold in Oregon have engines that produce lower levels of nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter. The first phase of the rule aimed for a 75% cut in nitrogen oxides and 50% cut in particulate pollution when compared to 2023 standards. The second phase, to launch in 2027, would require diesel engine manufacturers to reduce nitrogen oxides by 90% when compared with the 2023 standard, with no additional requirements for fine particulate matter. ODOT directly attributed the delay to the lack of available compliant trucks. “The current lack of compliancebased diesel engines means diesel truck manufacturers can’t make any vehicles available for sale,” said DEQ spokesperson Susan Mills. Oregon is one of several states that have adopted an emissions regulation based on similar standards in California. Many of those states have already delayed their implementation timelines due to similar concerns about the availability of zero emission trucks. The federal clean truck rules, which would similarly require nitrogen oxide and particulate matter reductions, will go into effect in 2027. Separately, at the time of this writing, Oregon’s Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) Rule, which requires manufacturers to sell a growing percentage of zero-emission heavy-duty trucks, buses, and vans, is still slated to go into effect January 1, 2025. Even with the delay of the omnibus NOx rule, the ACT will significantly limit a company’s ability—if not make it impossible—to purchase a new truck in the state of Oregon beginning in 2025. “The current lack of compliance-based diesel engines means diesel truck manufacturers can’t make any vehicles available for sale,” said DEQ spokesperson Susan Mills. OTA’s lobby team has been deeply engaged in conversations with legislators, regulators, and the governor about these rules since their adoption and continues to advocate for a delay until the necessary electric infrastructure is in place and truck manufacturers can effectively meet the needs of trucking companies seeking to purchase new vehicles for their fleets.
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