ALBANY – Senator Jennifer Metzger (D, Rosendale) has introduced legislation that would increase the number of zero-emissions trucks on the road, reducing pollutants that cause asthma and other health problems. It would also aim to help the state meet the goal of the Climate Leadership and Community Protection act passed last year.
The bill would expand the state’s zero-emissions vehicle program for cars and light-duty trucks to include medium- and heavy-duty trucks, a step recently taken in California.
The measure would require truck manufacturers to increase the percentage of clean vehicles they sell over time, as is done for other vehicles.
“The technology exists to transport goods and people without harming public health or worsening climate change, but we need the appropriate framework in place to get more clean trucks and buses on the roads in our state,” Metzger said.
“With a large percentage of toxic and global warming gases coming into our atmosphere from fossil-fuel powered vehicles used in transportation, this new bill is critical to our success in protecting our communities and our planet,” said Dr. Kathleen Nolan, MD, senior research director for Catskill Mountainkeeper. “With advances in technology, we can bring heavily polluting large vehicles into compliance with our zero emission standards, starting now.”
