California abandons diesel truck ban as Trump administration takes charge

REDLANDS, Calif. — California officials announced on Jan. 14 the decision to abandon a groundbreaking regulation to phase out diesel trucks, along with three other clean-air rules, ahead of the Trump administration taking office.

Why it matters: The Inland Empire struggles with severe air quality concerns, with the majority of particle pollution coming from diesel truck exhaust. The warehouses that employ these trucks have become a hot-button topic in Redlands due to the damaging health impacts of trucks that pass through daily.

Details: The Biden administration recently approved the California Air Resources Board’s mandate phasing out new gas-powered cars by 2035, but four other diesel vehicle standards remained in limbo. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however, failed to approve the new standards in time.

President Trump has threatened to revoke or challenge all zero-emission vehicle rules, along with other California clean-air standards. Knowing Trump’s stance, the Newsom administration withdrew its requests for EPA approval.

California’s proposed Advanced Clean Fleets rule aimed to create timelines to phase out diesel trucks for zero-emission vehicles. The regulation would have affected everything from U.S. mail and UPS packages to 40-foot containers. The expectation would have been to phase out diesel trucks and end the sale of new fossil-fueled trucks by 2036, and require large trucking companies to convert medium- and heavy-duty fleets to electric or hydrogen models by 2042.

The state also withdrew three other measures that would have regulated emissions from diesel-powered locomotives, commercial harbor craft, and refrigeration unit engines hauled by trucks and rail cars.

What they’re saying: “Frankly, given that the Trump administration has not been publicly supportive of some of the strategies that we have deployed in these regulations, we thought it would be prudent to pull back and consider our options,” Liane Randolph, chair of the California Air Resources Board, the state’s clean air and climate regulator said in a recent NY Times article.

Zoom out: California has been a leader in driving the U.S. toward less-polluting vehicles. It is the only state with the power to request a waiver from the EPA to set its own vehicle emission regulations due to having some of the nation’s worst air quality. In the fight against diesel trucks, nearly a dozen other states, including New York, New Jersey, and Washington, have adopted more aggressive trucking standards as well.

Some organizations and companies, however, are celebrating the removal of the regulations from EPA approval. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), which represents more than 7,000 businesses nationwide in the automotive aftermarket industry, said that “Advanced Clean Fleets would have crippled interstate commerce by implementing harmful EV mandates on the trucking fleets that drive our nation’s economy.”

“On Day 1 of his new administration, President Trump reclaimed the nation’s freedom of vehicle choice, proclaiming the authority of the United States of America, rather than the so-called United States of California, to set national policies,” SEMA President and CEO Mike Spagnola said in a statement on Jan. 21.

The health impacts: California, and the Inland Empire in particular, has struggled with severe air pollution. Diesel exhaust plays a role in this, as it contains fine particles that can trigger asthma and heart attacks, in addition to gases that form smog. It has also been linked to a heightened likelihood of developing diabetes and lung cancer.

In 2024, San Bernardino County was ranked worst in the nation for ozone pollution and ranked 10th highest for annual particle pollution by the American Lung Association. The report pointed to increased freight and goods movement in addition to escalating wildfire incidents.

“To meet basic standards for healthy air, California has to shift to zero-emissions trucks and trains in the coming years,” Paul Cort, director of Earthjustice’s Right To Zero campaign, said in a statement. “Diesel is one of the most dangerous kinds of air pollution for human health, and California’s diesel problem is big enough to cast its own shadow.”

Trucks in Redlands: According to Warehouse CITY, a tool developed to help visualize and quantify the warehouse footprint and associated environmental impact in Southern California, the Inland Empire has become inundated with warehouses. In the past two decades, about 90% of new warehouse space built in Southern California has been in the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside.

Redlands is home to 56 existing warehouses, with five currently vacant. The total space accounts for more than 16 million square feet and results in about 11,000 daily truck trips, according to the Warehouse CITY tool.

Many residents are concerned about the negative impact these trucks have on health and traffic. A recent proposal to redevelop the former La-Z-Boy facility on Tennessee Street was first denied by the planning commission and then lost its appeal when it came before the Redlands City Council, a big reason being the outcry from concerned residents.

The proposal would modernize the building, making the space more energy efficient and nearly twice as tall.

“It’s not the building that matters, it’s not square footage, it’s not how it looks for me, it’s the public health impacts that come entirely from the trucking,” Julie Lenhardt, an environmental scientist and mother of two, said during the Nov. 19 City Council meeting.

The proposed project would have increased the annual emissions by 2,304 CO2e and added more than 115 truck trips per day. A traffic study for the project, however, deemed this a “less than significant impact” due to current traffic conditions and greenhouse gas emissions in the area.

A recent report on local greenhouse gas emissions revealed that the Redlands’ 2017 Climate Action Plan has been ineffective in meeting local emission targets. The report found that emissions increased by 11% between 2015 and 2022. Transportation contributed the highest amount to the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, increasing 34% from 2015.

“I am deeply concerned about the withdrawal of the CA diesel clean air rules and worry about how it will affect us in Redlands," Council member Denise Davis said in an email to Community Forward Redlands. "Especially as we have some of the nation’s poorest air quality, this is not a step in the right direction. I hope we can find other ways to reduce our carbon footprint in Redlands and prevent future negative health and climate impacts," said Davis, who leads the city's ah-hoc Climate Action Committee.

On Nov. 12, the Redlands Planning Commission discussed a potential ban on warehouse development across the city, unanimously voting for staff to conduct further analysis on the topic.