AAH #757 – Regulation Revolution: U.S. & EU Could Share

Comments

1. George Ricci says

   August 28, 2025 at 6:27 pm

   John, on your point that all the emission regulations on the auto industry and none on the other things in the transportation sector. Compared to the 1960s, a new passenger vehicle today is 98% to 99% cleaner for most common pollutants, such as hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOX), and particulate matter (PM).

   There has been some reduction in emissions for other things in transportation but nowhere near to autos 98 to 99% reduction.

   Motorcycles – EPA has stringent emission standards for highway motorcycles that have been developed and refined for over thirty years. Motorcycles are regulated under section 202 of the Clean Air Act which calls for EPA to consider the need to achieve equivalent emission reductions from both motorcycles and other vehicles as much as possible.

   Piston aircraft – new ones use Lead-free fuels.

   Jet engines – Yes, jet engines have gotten cleaner over the last several decades, primarily through improved fuel efficiency (45% reduction), reduced emissions, and quieter designs.

   Large Trucks – By mid-2006, the EPA reduced the sulfur content in highway diesel fuel by 97%, from 500 ppm to just 15 ppm. First phase of U.S. emissions regulations, semi-trucks (combination tractors) were required to achieve a 7–20% reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by model year 2017. These standards were the result of the first federal program to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Phase (2) standards required (CO2) emission reductions per ton-mile of freight moved by (15%) for heavy-haul trucks to (27%) for sleeper cab, high roof, Class (8) trucks, relative to the (2017) baselines, by model year (2027).

   Large Ships – Cold ironing (using shore-side electricity) is required in some U.S. ports, most notably in California for container ships and other vessel types, and increasingly for other fleets and regions like the Port of Miami as a strategy to reduce emissions.
   IMO 2023 GHG Strategy: 2030: Reduce carbon intensity by at least 40% and total annual GHG emissions by 20% (striving for 30%) compared to 2008.
   2040: Reduce total annual GHG emissions by 70% (striving for 80%) compared to 2008.
   2050: Achieve net-zero GHG emissions.

   Small boats – Small boat emission requirements in the US are governed by the EPA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB), with standards for new and used recreational (gasoline) and commercial (diesel) boats. Gasoline engines must control exhaust and evaporative emissions, while diesel engines, classified by power category, follow “Tier” standards (Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4) that set limits on pollutants like NMHC+NOx and particulate matter (PM). California also has a specific Commercial Harbor Craft Regulation targeting tugboats and ferries.

   Trains – California approved a first-in-the-nation, ambitious rule limiting rail pollution. The rule will ban locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increase the use of zero-emissions technology to transport freight from ports and throughout railyards. It would also ban locomotives in the state from idling longer than 30 minutes if they are equipped with an automatic shutoff.