A 'misconduct investigation' decided that an industry-funded study, used by the EPA as the basis to roll back a regulation limiting the number of old engines that could be used in new truck chassis (i.e., "glider trucks"), was inaccurate.

On his final day in office in July, disgraced former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt accomplished one final environmental rollback—the repeal of glider provisions from the Heavy-Duty Truck Rule.
Glider trucks, which use older and often rebuilt diesel engines in new truck chassis, "had nitrogen oxide emissions 43 times higher than newer trucks and particulate matter emissions 55 times higher" in a 2017 EPA study, according to Transport Topics. The Obama-era rule caps at 300 the number of gliders each manufacturer can build annually.
Regrettably, faulty academic research completed last year by Tennessee Technological University, an accredited public university located in Cookeville, Tenn., helped enable that rollback, which fortunately was reversed, if only temporarily, three weeks later by Pruitt's successor, Andrew Wheeler, after environmental groups and state attorneys general sued the EPA.
The Tennessee university's 2017 study [pdf], funded by Fitzgerald Glider Kits of Crossville, Tenn., the nation's largest glider kit assembler and a proponent of repealing the caps, "has been at the center of a fight over the EPA’s attempts to loosen production limits on the trucks," report Joe Howard and Eric Miller report for Transport Topics.
The EPA cited the study in the Nov. 16, 2017, Federal Registrar [pdf] to show that emissions would be similar to those from original equipment manufacturer (OEM) ‘certified’ engines.
In support, the petitioners included as an exhibit to their petition a letter from the President of the Tennessee Technological University (‘‘Tennessee Tech’’), which described a study recently conducted by Tennessee Tech.
The petitioners maintained that the results of the study ‘‘showed that remanufactured engines from model years between 2002 and 2007 performed roughly on par with OEM ‘certified’ engines,’’ and ‘‘in some instances even out-performed the OEM engines.’’
The source article contains the embedded letter, dated Oct. 23, conveying the findings of a "misconduct investigation" conducted by the university, signed by Trudy Harper, vice chair of the Tennessee Tech Board of Trustees, which "said that the school’s field-testing procedures for the research were 'not sufficient to justify comparisons with EPA emissions standards,'” add Howard and Miller.
Harper further stated that a review of the school’s supporting data, “does not support the statement” that the rebuilt engines performed as well as “OEM ‘certified’ engines.”
The letter was sent to Tommy Fitzgerald, the CEO of Fitzgerald Glider Kits, EPA’s acting administrator, Andrew Wheeler, and Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.).
Red flags on academic research raised earlier by close cooperation with the funding company
"The contact between Tennessee Technological University researchers and Fitzgerald Glider Kits...raises ethical flags about the study at the center of the Environmental Protection Agency’s efforts to roll back the Obama-era regulation," reported Abby Smith for Bloomberg Energy in June.
Sponsored research like the study at issue isn’t unusual, but universities typically take a strong stance on academic freedom, research ethics experts said.
"TTU faculty questioned the original study, and in particular, the relationship between Fitzgerald and TTU, calling it a conflict of interest," reports
Republican congress members are still trying to repeal the quota. In addition to environmental groups and the 16 state attorneys general and the chief legal officer of the District of Columbia that oppose the rollback, a trucking industry coalition, which includes manufacturers, suppliers, and the American Trucking Associations, also want to see the Obama rule left in place.
FULL STORY: Glider Kit Study Drew ‘Inaccurate’ Conclusions, Tennessee Tech Finds

Amtrak Ramping Up Infrastructure Projects
Thanks to federal funding from the 2021 infrastructure act, the agency plans to triple its investment in infrastructure improvements and new routes in the next two years.

Ending Downtown San Francisco’s ‘Doom Loop’
A new public space project offers an ambitious vision—so why is the city implementing it at such a small scale?

Proposal Would Transform L.A.’s ‘Freeway to Nowhere’ Into Park, Housing
A never-completed freeway segment could see new life as a mixed-use development with housing, commercial space, and one of the county’s largest parks.

Former Brooklyn Sugar Refinery Reopens as All-Electric Office Tower
A historic building was reimagined as a 15-story office tower powered by renewable energy.

NHTSA: Traffic Fatalities Decline for Fifth Straight Quarter
Traffic deaths were 3.3 percent lower in the first half of 2023 than the same period last year, but not all states saw the same results.

LA Rail Project Testing Electric Excavator
The battery-powered excavator could replace diesel-powered machinery to reduce construction emissions and noise.
Urban3
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Washington University
Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility
Lassen County Planning and Building Services
City of San Carlos
National Capital Planning Commission
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.