A Deeply Disappointing Legal U-Turn by Truck Companies

At a time when diesel and gas prices are soaring, the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) has just joined a lawsuit in order to support tearing down a fundamental pillar of climate policy –  policy that  will have extensive benefits for  protecting public health and that will save families and truckers enormous amounts of money on fuel.  

On March 20, the association – a trade organization whose members account for 90% of the heavy-duty commercial vehicle and engine market – filed a motion to intervene in support of the Trump administration’s dismantling of EPA’s Endangerment Finding and all motor vehicle climate pollution standards.  

The Endangerment Finding is EPA’s bedrock determination that climate pollution harms human health and welfare. It is the foundation for commonsense EPA standards to reduce that pollution from large sources, including in the transportation sector. The Endangerment Finding has also created a stable framework for businesses to invest, innovate and compete globally in a marketplace increasingly dominated by clean, affordable solutions.  

Trump EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s move to repeal the Endangerment Finding upends this rational framework. Leading businesses have expressed their concerns and their opposition to this damaging action during EPA’s comment period, and some have already taken action to challenge the repeal in court (as has Environmental Defense Fund). 

EMA’s decision to support repealing the Endangerment Finding and motor vehicle safeguards is deeply disappointing. Recent reporting suggests a subset of its member companies – Daimler, Volvo, and Traton, the parent company of International (formerly Navistar) – were the driving force behind the association's action.  

These companies’ support for the Trump administration’s removal of this fundamental pillar of climate policy and repeal of rational standards to reduce climate pollution in the U.S. would result in 18 billion tons of additional climate pollution – approximately 3 times what the entire U.S. emitted last year. This stands in stark contrast to their asserted commitment to climate action. 

For instance:  

• Daimler: “From 2039 onwards, we aspire to only offer vehicles in Europe, Japan and the USA that are CO₂e-free on the road.”
• Volvo: “Our ambition is to reach net-zero in our value chain by 2040.”
• Traton: “We are dedicated to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the value chain in line with the Paris agreement.” 

These companies’ support for the Trump administration’s action would also force consumers and truckers to spend more money on fuel to power less-efficient and higher polluting vehicles. At EDF, we analyzed these impacts several weeks ago and found that repeal would mean $1.4 trillion more in fuel costs. The costs would be even higher now that national average diesel prices are over $5 per gallon, up more than 40 percent over the last few  weeks.  

All of this raises important questions about how the companies that were reportedly driving EMA’s decision to intervene – Daimler, Volvo, and Traton – could support this damaging action given their public-facing commitments and the way that repealing the Endangerment Finding will hurt their customers (and all Americans) in the form of more pollution and higher fuel costs. It also raises questions about whether or not other prominent members of EMA – companies like Stellantis – supported the association's intervention given their own publicly-stated commitments to protecting the climate and benefitting their customers.  

As we mentioned above, business leaders along with medical and health associations, leading states and cities, public interest environmental organizations (including us) and many others are going to court to protect the Endangerment Finding and the clean car standards – cornerstones of rational climate policies anchored in law, economics and science that will help ensure healthier, longer lives for millions of people, now and for generations to come. It is disheartening to see EMA and others trying to block the path forward instead of working with solutions providers, innovating, and bridge building to advance clean, affordable solutions.