03/26/24
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is edging toward greenlighting California regulators’ plan to set net-zero emissions standards for locomotives operating in the Golden State. This scheme that could quickly spread to other states, threatening reliable rail transport of goods throughout the country.
Last summer, the California Air Resources Board finalized its “In-Use Locomotive Regulation,” which mandates that by 2030, only zero-emissions locomotives will be allowed to operate in the state. Within a few years, all locomotives transporting people, goods, or equipment in California must be in a “zero emissions configuration.”