Legal Insurrection by Leslie Eastman Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Railroad officials are argue the the proposed rules are unrealistic.The last time we reported on trains in California, a bipartisan congressional group from Nevada and California asked the Biden administration for federal funds to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Now, California is proposing to ban diesel and other non-electric train engines…as well as control their idling time.
On Thursday, the California Air Resource Board (CARB), a state agency tasked with protecting air quality and reducing harmful pollution, announced that it would pursue aggressive regulations to limit freight train emissions. The so-called In-Use Locomotive Regulation makes California the first state to tackle freight train emissions which represent just 0.5% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to federal data.
“Locomotives are a key part of California’s transportation network, and it’s time that they are part of the solution to tackle pollution and clean our air,” CARB Chair Liane Randolph said in a statement Thursday. “With the new regulation, we are moving toward a future where all transportation operations in the state will be zero emissions.”
Under the regulation, California will ban any locomotive engine that was constructed more than 23 years ago by 2030. And the rule would require all new switch, industrial and passenger locomotives to be zero-emissions while in California beginning in 2030 and 2035 for freight line haul.
More:
https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/05/california-plans-to-ban-diesel-train-engines-constructed-more-than-23-years-ago-by-2030/
