75 mayors across Pennsylvania united this week in sending a letter to President Joe Biden. Signatures came from Conshohocken, Erie, Pittsburgh, Bethlehem, and the boroughs of Hatboro and State College.
The letter urged Biden to finalize the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) strongest proposed rule for the GHG Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles, or the HDV rule.
This rule would speed up the process of switching from large internal combustion engine vehicles to heavy-duty electric vehicles.
Transitions are already taking place in some areas, partly because of increased electric infrastructure due to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Switching to electric vehicles would help reduce carbon pollution, improve air quality, and increase national security by ending the monopoly the oil industry holds on transportation.
Mayors Joseph V. Schember of Erie and Ed Gainey of Pittsburgh said the transition to electric heavy-duty vehicles is the future as we work to protect our environment.
School districts across the state recently received millions in funding for electric school buses as part of the EPA’s Clean School Bus Program. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protect gave several grant awards to businesses, cities, universities and more to replace almost a hundred vehicles with zero emission substitutes.
80 corporate leaders also sent a letter to the White House in November advocating for stronger EPA standards. They highlighted how economic development and national security could benefit, and how it would help the U.S. reach their goal of making transportation more environmentally friendly.
