The US Environmental Protection Agency awarded Southern California’s air regulator nearly $500 million in federal funding to electrify the movement of heavy goods in the region, the largest grant the federal agency has ever awarded to combat air pollution.
The EPA announced Monday it will award nearly $4.3 billion in climate grants — funded by the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. The largest allocation goes to the South Coast Air Quality Management District, the agency tasked with reducing air pollution in the nation’s smogiest air basin.
The air district previously applied for federal funding to help deploy zero-emission vehicles and other infrastructure to transport cargo in Greater Los Angeles. The plan focuses on providing incentives to businesses that purchase battery electric cargo trucks, delivery vehicles and switcher locomotives (trains that assemble and unload rail car lines).
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By transitioning away from diesel engines, the incentive would reduce carbon emissions by more than 12 million metric tons and avoid burning more than 1 billion gallons of fuel from 2025 to 2050, according to estimates. Lawmakers and environmental regulators say the investment will also help improve air quality in communities like Trade, where residents who visit Bandini Park play in the shadow of the 710 Freeway and sprawling rail yards.
“We don’t have to choose between being an important part of the nation’s economy and having clean air for our children to breathe,” U.S. Senator Alex Padilla said Monday in the park, as semitrucks roared down the highway. “We can do both. We have to do both. The $500 million we’re celebrating today is huge. It’s going to have a tremendous impact on decarbonizing the heavy-duty sector.
The historic funding announcement followed a ceremony where officials from the EPA and local air districts signed a new clean air commitment — signaling a willingness to work together after more than two years of wrangling over Southern California’s failure to comply with federal smog rules.
The EPA has come close to disagreeing with the air district’s plan to meet federal air quality standards, a move that would result in severe economic sanctions, which could jeopardize Los Angeles’ bid to host the 2028 Olympics.
For its part, the air district has repeatedly told the EPA that it can’t meet federal smog standards without stricter regulations for planes, trains, interstate trucks and cargo ships — all regulated by the EPA.
To deal with the penalty, air district officials decided to withdraw the area’s smog plan, which they hoped would create more time to comply with federal standards.
State and local regulators are also still waiting for the EPA to approve at least nine clean air rules passed by the California Air Resources Board, which require federal waivers before they can take effect.
“We’re lucky that (the rules) really represent some really innovative and ingenious thinking on the part of the California Air Resources Board,” said Joseph Goffman, Deputy assistant administrator in the EPA’s Office of Water and Radiation. “Therefore, we must be especially careful to ensure that when we announce a decision, it is based on a solid technical and legal basis.”
Ahead of the tumultuous presidential election, environmental groups are increasingly concerned about the fate of California’s climate rules, which are likely to face legal scrutiny and could lead to a second Trump presidency.
Padilla said the newly announced climate funding is “as protected.” But he stressed the importance of this election for the environment.
“If what we have seen from the Republican majority of the House of Representatives this session is any indicator, you can’t take anything for granted,” said Padilla.
