Though they make up a tiny fraction of the overall trucking fleet, the EPA estimated that if current trends hold, gliders would account for half of all nitrogen oxide pollution from trucks by 2030. However, the EPA’s tests showed that even shiny new glider trucks can spew upward of 55 times the amount of pollution of modern trucks that use the current generation of pollution controls. Production of glider trucks surged from 1,000 in 2010 to 10,000 in 2015, and is on track to increase further. “This process creates a reliable, more fuel efficient truck that requires less maintenance, yields less downtime and has the safety features and amenities owners have come to expect in trucks on the road today,” according to Fitzgerald Glider Kits, that largest glider truck manufacturer in the United States. So some truck buyers aren’t fans.Ī cottage industry quickly sprang up to take advantage of this loophole and to pitch the virtues of gliders to buyers. These pollution control systems mandated on new trucks add cost, complexity, and can hamper fuel economy. They often don’t use technologies like selective catalytic reduction, a method to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions that cause smog and acid rain. However, older engines adhere to older pollution standards. This category of truck was created so manufacturers could salvage parts from older trucks, or parts from those damaged in accidents. These are brand new trucks, but without an engine or transmission (hence why they “glide”). The loophole, which the Obama administration took steps to close, involves glider kits. Pruitt’s last policy decision benefits a small slice of truck manufacturers, including one that hosted a campaign event for Donald Trump. Andrew Wheeler, a former lobbyist for industries including coal, will take over EPA as acting director on Monday.
“Pruitt didn’t want to leave his post and was described as being devastated that he had to resign,” according to Jennifer Dlouhy and Jennifer Jacobs at Bloomberg. It was Pruitt’s final knock to clean air after President Donald Trump asked him to resign Thursday as months of mounting scandals came to a head. The original story published earlier this month follows.įormer Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt managed to fire a Parthian shot on his final day in office when he cemented a massive loophole for some of the dirtiest, most polluting trucks on the road, allowing manufacturers to build even more of them. The order forces the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce stricter rules on “super polluting” glider trucks as the court considers permanently overriding Scott Pruitt’s final decision as the EPA’s leader. Update, July 18: The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by a 2-1 decision issued an emergency stay on Wednesday in response to a lawsuit by the Environmental Defense Fund and other environmental groups.
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