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NRDC: Moving To Electric Trucks In PA Could Save 140 Lives, Create 3,524 Jobs

On October 25, the Natural Resources Defense Council released a new report that found adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks standard for medium and heavy duty trucks in Pennsylvania can avoid 140 premature deaths and create 3,524 new jobs.

The Pennsylvania Clean Trucks Program report investigated the climate, health, and job benefits expected if the Commonwealth were to adopt these standards. The report was prepared by ERM and commissioned by NRDC and the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The Advanced Clean Trucks standard modeled in the report would require manufacturers, beginning in 2027, to increase their zero-emission truck sales to between 30-50 percent by 2030 and 40-75 percent by 2035.

If adopted in Pennsylvania, benefits would include:

-- $1.8 billion in public health benefits by 2050 including 140 fewer premature deaths, 131 fewer hospital visits from breathing polluted air, and 71,760 fewer cases of acute bronchitis, exacerbated asthma, and other respiratory symptoms.

-- 3,524 new jobs by 2035, supporting growth in clean energy jobs across the country. These include jobs in battery and electric component manufacturing, charging infrastructure construction, and electricity generation.

-- $2.3 billion per year in net societal benefits (the monetized value of climate and public health benefits resulting from reduced greenhouse gas emissions, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter; as well as net cost savings to light-duty vehicle owners from operating zero emission vehicles and savings to all electricity customers). These gains include $1.3 billion in net fleet savings and $382 million in utility net revenue, totaling nearly $24.9 billion by 2050.

For the Advanced Clean Trucks standard to move forward in Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection would need to draft proposed regulations and initiate the multi-year rulemaking process.

So far, nine other states have introduced Advanced Clean Trucks standards, including California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.

“The Advanced Clean Trucks program can help Pennsylvania mitigate climate change, improve air quality, and protect public health — and the DEP should initiate a rulemaking process to realize these benefits and get the most out of these standards,” said Muhammed Patel, Midwest Clean Vehicle Advocate for NRDC. “Transportation accounts for twenty-two percent of Pennsylvania's greenhouse gas emissions, which the state must address to reach its climate goals. Getting more electric heavy-duty vehicles on the road will also greatly benefit the communities who live near busy roads and highways and bear the brunt of transportation pollution.”

“ACT will increase the availability of zero-emission trucks and buses, allowing Pennsylvania fleets to tap into the significant fuel and maintenance savings offered by electric commercial vehicles, estimated to be over $1.3 billion cumulatively through 2050. Cleaner freight will also deliver massive benefits to people and the planet, reducing harmful air pollution and climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions," said Sam Wilson, Senior Vehicles Analyst at UCS (Union of Concerned Scientists). "This research estimates that reduced air pollution from Pennsylvania trucks will affect a decrease in over 70,000 sicknesses and nearly 300 hospital visits and premature deaths through 2050.”

Click Here for a copy of the report.

Related Articles This Week:

-- Bipartisan Climate Initiative Officially Launches Education Effort To Use PA Environmental Rights Amendment To Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Adapt To Climate Change [PaEN]

-- PennDOT Hosts Nov. 13 Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding Networking Event In Harrisburg; Regional Outreach Events Continuing [PaEN]

-- NRDC: Moving To Electric Trucks In PA Could Save 140 Lives, Create 3,524 Jobs [PaEN]

NewsClips:

-- Republican Herald: 40 Acre Solar Energy Facility Proposed In Orwigsburg Boro, Schuylkill County

-- TribLive: Western PA Energy Consortium To Use Clean Energy From Ohio Wind Farm

-- WESA: Pittsburgh Buys Energy From Ohio Wind Farm

-- Courier Times: Bucks, Montgomery Counties Join Chester, Delaware Counties To Purchase Electricity For Their Operations To Reduce Costs, Greenhouse Gas Emissions

-- PA Capital-Star Guest Essay: RGGI Is About Climate Change, But Also About Environmental Justice - By Clean Air Council

-- NextPittsburgh: Pittsburgh Canopy Alliance And City Will Use $9 Million To Revitalize Region’s Tree Canopy