Wes Lowe's experience reflects the dire air quality in California's San Joaquin Valley, where dirty air contributes to high asthma rates, particularly among children. The region's heavy truck traffic exacerbates pollution, prompting calls for electrifying the trucking industry. Though California mandating zero-emission trucks reflects progress, challenges abound, including regulation uncertainties and political climate shifts, impacting the transition's pace. The Environmental Protection Agency's support for this initiative is crucial, but many hurdles remain to improve air quality for residents like Lowe and his family.
"You don't realize how bad it is until you leave," Lowe said.
California's urgent need to clear the air by electrifying the trucking industry and pushing older, more polluting machinery off the road is critical.
The transition to zero-emission trucks faces challenges due to uncertainty about regulations and political hostility toward clean energy policies.
California started its trucking transition in 2021 when it required increasing numbers of zero-emission big rigs.
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