BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Air pollution caused by heavy truck traffic is particularly toxic and harmful to public health in both Lehigh and Northampton counties, Nick Zuwiala-Rogers said.
“The transportation sector accounts for the largest amount of carbon pollution nationally, fueling the climate crisis that saw 2023 as the hottest year on record,” said Zuwiala-Rogers, transportation program director of the Clean Air Council.
“Heavy duty vehicles, like trucks, that run across the state, through our communities here in the Lehigh Valley, are a huge piece of that.
“They make up just 10% of the vehicles on the road, but more than 25% of the roadway pollution.”
Nick Zuwiala-Rogers was among a half-dozen officials and advocates Wednesday to speak at Bethlehem Area Public Library’s Community Room to urge federal officials for strict emission standards for trucks, currently under consideration by the Environmental Protection Agency to be adopted next month.
The event, called “Route Zero,” and helmed by city Mayor J. William Reynolds, aimed to highlight the economic, environmental and public health benefits the implementation of clean truck standards could reap across the Valley.
“Anybody that's been to the Lehigh Valley understands that we're continuing to see more and more truck traffic throughout the Lehigh Valley, which has been an issue, both from an air quality point of view and a quality of life point of view."Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds
“Anybody that's been to the Lehigh Valley understands that we're continuing to see more and more truck traffic throughout the Lehigh Valley, which has been an issue, both from an air quality point of view and a quality of life point of view,” Reynolds said.
“And one of the things we realized a long time ago is nobody's able to solve these issues alone, and we rely on our state and federal government to update their rules and to be able to keep us safe and give us the ability to do things that jurisdictionally localities don't have.
“We always say the secret to our success is being able to get as many people in the same room as possible that are working on the same goals. And today is about that.”
EPA officials said the agency is "committed to finalizing a technology standard that is readily achievable, secures reductions in dangerous air and climate pollution and ensures economic benefits for families.
"The draft final rulemaking titled “The Multi Pollutant Emissions Standards for Model Years 2027 and Later Light-Duty and Medium-Duty Vehicles” is currently in the interagency review process and EPA cannot comment on the draft final rule at this time," officials said in an email.
"EPA received more than 240,000 public comments from a wide range of stakeholders for the proposed rulemaking and the Agency will be addressing those comments as part of the final rule.”
What are the new EPA standards?
Last April, the EPA, alongside other federal officials, announced two sets of proposed emissions standards, one for light- and medium-duty vehicles and another for heavy-duty trucks, for models starting in 2027.
It's the first update to clean air standards for heavy duty trucks in more than 20 years, and the proposal is more than 80% stronger than current standards.
“EPA is taking significant action to protect public health, especially the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America, including our most vulnerable populations in historically overburdened communities,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan in a news release said.
“But we’re not stopping there. This is just the first action under EPA’s Clean Trucks Plan to pave the way toward a zero-emission future.
“These rigorous standards, coupled with historic investments from the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will accelerate President Biden’s ambitious agenda to overhaul the nation’s trucking fleet, deliver cleaner air, and protect people and the planet.”
While these regulations wouldn’t impact vehicles sold before 2027, and only indirectly impact drivers through the manufacturer, the benefits are many when it comes to public health, officials claim.
The EPA estimates that by 2045, the regulations on heavy-duty trucks alone will result in up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths; 6,700 fewer hospital admissions and emergency department visits; 18,000 fewer cases of childhood asthma; 3.1 million fewer cases of asthma symptoms and allergic rhinitis symptoms; 78,000 fewer lost days of work; 1.1 million fewer lost school days for children; and $29 billion in annual net benefits.
‘Contemporary safeguards and innovative development’
Lehigh Valley residents with mild seasonal allergies, let alone respiratory conditions, know firsthand that the Valley forms a bowl, trapping pollution and negatively impacting local air quality, city Councilwoman Colleen Laird said.
“Here in the Lehigh Valley, we experience significant activity from the trucking and warehousing industry, and Bethlehem in particular as a tourist destination, too, with buses bringing visitors for seasonal and historic attractions,” Laird said.
“Every day, also, many of our children ride buses to our strong public schools.
“So contemporary safeguards and innovative development in these industries are vital for our community's economic, physical and environmental health.”
Over the past three decades, research has shown that air pollution can have varying impacts on all residents, even those still in the womb, said Hyunok Choi, an associate professor in Lehigh University’s department of Community and Population Health.
“Exposures to traffic-related fossil fuel air pollution directly translates to fetal growth restrictions,” she said.
“That sets us on a trajectory to put us in greater risk of developing asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, obesity, diabetes, to name a few, and, most notably, some types of cancers at later age.”
Last year, Allentown was named the asthma capital of the U.S. by the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
“The effects are particularly concerning for those of us that live in the Lehigh Valley because the valley happens to trap pollution,” she said.
“So, it's a no-brainer that adoption of tougher regulations for emissions by large traffic vehicles would directly translate to the protection of large segments of the population going forward in the future.”
