Are Truck Emissions The Real Enemy?

A series of rules targeting air polluting fumes emitted by diesel trucks is sparking controversy between environmentalists, air quality officials, and trucking companies. The rules, which were issued last year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Air Resources Board (ARB), and the South Coast Air Quality Management District, urge tractor-trailers, garbage trucks, street sweepers, buses, and airport vehicles to switch to natural gas, to add smog-trapping devices, or to use low-sulfur diesel fuel. Although environmentalists assert that the new standards will drastically cut large vehicle emissions, trucking companies and some air quality experts warn that the new rules, which may be difficult and expensive to implement, ignore the problem of growth. Urban sprawl increases distances traveled, subsequently increasing vehicle emissions. These experts and truck company owners argue that excess urban growth, increasing quality of life, and inadequate rail systems are ultimate causes of toxic truck emissions; trucking companies have become scapegoats for the problem, they say.