INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
Legislative Update for Utility Fleets
By Seth Skydel
By Seth Skydel
22
A
range of legislation and regulatory activity at both federal and state levels has a continual impact on utility fleet operations.
In a policy update for attendees at EUFMC 2024, Michael Taylor, senior advisor at HillStaffer, a consulting firm for national associations and global organizations, and advocacy lead for NAFA Fleet Management Association, provided a comprehensive update based on more than 30 years of experience within the energy and transportation sectors.
The regulatory and legislative issues that Taylor covered included:
Emissions Regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency( EPA) released a final rule
Telecom & Utility Construction | Fall 2024 that allows manufacturers more time to meet tailpipe emissions standards. Still recognized as some of the strictest ever proposed by the agency, the standards allow more flexibility in the first three years of implementation than the initial proposal.
EPA projects that the new standards will result in a 50 % reduction in national fleet average greenhouse gas( GHG) emissions for light-duty vehicles and a 44 % reduction for medium-duty vehicles by 2032.
Automakers will be allowed to meet the fleet emission reduction targets through various technologies, including advanced gasoline vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles.
EPA also announced a Phase 3 proposal to revise existing standards
A range of legislation and regulatory activity at both federal and state levels has a continual impact on utility fleet operations.
to reduce GHG emissions from heavyduty vehicles in model year 2027 and set new, more stringent standards for model years 2028 through 2032.
Sponsors of a Senate Joint Resolution state that the new standards are overly challenging to implement, would make the cost of new trucks prohibitive for small business owners( potentially increasing pollution by incentivizing operators to keep older, higher-emitting trucks on the road for longer) and would increase supply chain costs. There were 30 members of Congress who sent a letter urging EPA to reconsider their new Phase 3 rule.