WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or EPA Nov. 9 announced it is responding to petitions from the California Air Resources Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the California Air Pollution Control Officers Association to address harmful nitrogen oxide or NOx and particulate matter or PM emissions from locomotives. As part of EPA’s response to these petitions, the agency is taking immediate steps to develop options and recommendations to address pollution from new locomotives as well as those already operating in communities nationwide.
Additionally, EPA plans to propose revisions to existing locomotive preemption regulations to ensure they don’t inappropriately limit California’s and other states’ authorities under the Clean Air Act to address their air quality issues.
Further, EPA has formed a rail study team to evaluate how best to address air pollutant emissions from the locomotive sector.
In the coming months, this team will collect information and evaluate the following:
- a range of technologies that may be available to further reduce locomotive emissions;
- policy options to accelerate locomotive fleet turnover to newer, cleaner technology;
- policy options to ensure that remanufactured locomotives are as clean as possible;
- engagement with partners, such as state, non-governmental organizations, environmental justice organizations, and industry stakeholders, to gather input as needed to inform the required evaluations.
The passing of the Inflation Reduction Act provides an enormous opportunity in the locomotive space, accelerating the transition to a zero emissions future by providing funding opportunities in many subsectors of transportation.