>>> HERE IS ENCOURAGING NEWS TO COMBAT AIR POLLUTION. IN CALIFORNIA TRUCK MANUFACTURERS HAVE AGREED TO BAN THE SALE OF DIESEL BIG RIGS BY 2036. PLANNING TO KICKSTART THE INDUSTRY TO ELECTRIC COMMERCIAL TRUCKS. ACCORDING TO THE CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES TOWARD BIG RIGS ACCOUNT FOR NEARLY 1 THIRD OF NITROGEN OXIDE POLLUTION IN OUR NATION. FOR MORE ON THIS, THE CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT FOR THE WASHINGTON POST JOINS US NOW FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. TIM, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE DEAL IN CALIFORNIA TO PHASE OUT THE DIESEL BIG RIGS? >> Reporter: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING ME. CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN PUSHING FOR MORE STRINGENT RULES FOR TRUCKS, AS YOU ALLUDED TO. THEY ARE A SOURCE OF POLLUTION IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR. WE HAVE SEEN ELECTRIFICATION TAKEOVER ROSS VEHICLES OF ALL TYPES. CALIFORNIA'S POSITION WAS BACKED UP BY A LOT OF ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS. THE TECHNOLOGY IS FAR ENOUGH ALONG THAT THESE TRUCKS EXIST AND THE GOVERNMENT, BECAUSE OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SHOULD PUSH THE INDUSTRY TOWARDS ADOPTING THEM AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. IN CALIFORNIA EARLIER THIS YEAR THEY APPROVED A BAN ON SALES OF A NEW DIESEL BIG RIGS STARTING IN 2036. OUT OF THIS DEAL, THERE IS SOME REGULATORY STUFF. THE BIG HEADLINE MOVE IS THE BIG ENGINE AND TRUCK MANUFACTURERS ARE GOING TO SOME WORD IT. PROBABLY A FEW OTHER STATES AS WELL. WE WILL SEE ABOUT THIS TO HAVE ELECTRIC OR HYDROGEN SALES. >> HYDROGEN IS INTERESTING. I HAVE AN ELECTRIC CAR. HERE IS ONE THING I LEARNED. ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE EXPENSIVE. IT TAKES AN AWFUL LONG TIME TO CHARGE YOUR CAR. YOU HAVE TO FACTOR IN THAT TIME. NEED INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU NEED CHARGERS. I'M WONDERING IF THAT'S PART OF THE CONVERSATION. ARE THEY GOING TO START TO PUT TOGETHER A COUNTRYWIDE CHARGING SET UP FOR THESE BIG RIGS? >> Reporter: YES. úTHERE HAS BE APPROVED BY CONGRESS TO DO THAT. WITH SOME HELP HERE AND THERE SOME REPUBLICANS HAVE PUSHED FOR A LOT OF MONEY TO EXPAND CHARGING NETWORKS NATIONWIDE. CALIFORNIA, ONE OF THE REASONS THEY ARE A LEADER IN RULE MAKE'S LIKE THIS, AND DEALMAKING'S WITH THE AUTO INDUSTRY, IS THAT CALIFORNIA ALREADY HAS A LOT OF THAT. EV ADOPTION HAS BEEN FASTER IN CALIFORNIA THAN OTHER STATES. IF YOU DRIVE AROUND CALIFORNIA YOU WILL SEE DRIVERS OF ALL TYPES EVERYWHERE. THE CHARGE TYPES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, THEY ARE HIGHLY VARIABLE AND IMPROVING A LOT. THERE'S A LOT OF TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE TO GET THESE CHARGES DONE FASTER. I THINK THE IMPORTANT PART HERE IS FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST CALIFORNIANS, IF SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS GOING TO HAVE TO HAPPEN NATIONALLY THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY SAYS THEY ARE READY TO DO IT. THEY NEED THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. THEY WANT MORE FEDERAL SUPPORT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. >> JUST TO CLARIFY, IT'S A BAN ON SELLING DIESEL POWERED TRUCKS IN CALIFORNIA COME 2036. IT'S NOT THAT DIESEL POWERED TRUCKS, LIKE THESE BIG RIGS, OR GOING TO BE BANNED ON THE STREETS OF CALIFORNIA. IT'S JUST YOU CAN'T SELL THEM ANYMORE WITHIN THE BORDERS OF THE STATE. >> Reporter: THAT'S RIGHT. REGULARS HAVE RECOGNIZED THERE IS A NEED FOR A PHASE IN. YOU CANNOT GET RID OF ALL OF THE TRUCKS AT ONCE. BY THE 2040S THE PLAN IS TO START DOING THAT. TO MAKE SURE, AFTER 20 YEARS OF LEAD TIME, THAT EVENTUALLY THE ONLY THING ON THE ROAD ARE ZERO EMISSION TRUCKS. >> INITIALLY THERE WAS PUSHBACK FROM THE INDUSTRY. PART OF THEIR ARGUMENT WAS, IF YOU DO THIS PEOPLE WILL HANG ONTO THEIR DIESEL TRUCKS LONGER AND THAT WILL BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE BECAUSE YOU WILL HAVE MANY FILTHY DIESEL TRUCKS BELCHING OUT BAD THINGS INTO THE AIR. WHAT MADE THEM COME AROUND? >> Reporter: IT IS A TRICKY THING. A LOT OF THESE ENGINES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LONG-HAUL RIGS WE ARE TALKING ABOUT, ARE BUILT T LAST FOREVER. THEY ARE BUILT TO BE REBUILT AND FINE-TUNED OVER TIME. PART OF WHAT CALIFORNIA HAS DONE IS USE ITS REGULATORY POWER TO PUSH THE INDUSTRY TO BREAK OUT OF THAT CYCLE AND ADOPT ALL NEW TRUCKS AND TECHNOLOGY. CALIFORNIA HAS SPECIAL PROVISIONS IN THE CLEAN AIR ACT BECAUSE THEY WERE DOING ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS. UNDER THOSE SPECIAL PROVISIONS THEY OFTEN GET PERMISSION FROM WASHINGTON. THEY CAN DO THIS. IT IS WRITTEN IN THE LAW TO HAVE RULES THAT ARE MORE STRINGENT. THERE ARE TYPICALLY LIBERAL LEANING STATES THAT WILL HAVE THE POWER TO ADOPT WHATEVER RULES CALIFORNIA HAS. CALIFORNIA HAS USED THAT POWER TO SAY, HEY, WE ARE GOING TO MAKE STRONGER RULES. THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY, WHAT THEY WANT THE LEAST FOR MANY AUTOMAKERS IS DIFFERENT RULES IN CALIFORNIA AND DIFFERENT RULES FROM THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. THEY KNOW CALIFORNIA IS HEADED IN ONE DIRECTION. CALIFORNIA CAN PUSH THEM. LET'S MAKE A DEAL. CALIFORNIA IS GIVING UP THINGS HERE. THERE WILL BE LATER REGULATIONS THAT THEY WILL ADOPT AS PART OF THIS. MOSTLY VERY TECHNICAL STUFF. BY DOING THAT, BY HAVING SOME GIVE, BY HAVING A FULL NATIONAL STANDARD IN SOME OF THE FINER REGULATIONS IN THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY, THEY SAID WE WILL DO A DEAL WITH YOU AND COMMIT TO THIS BIGGER PICTURE THING. >> SO GOES CALIFORNIA, SO GOES THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. THEY HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN PUSHING MORE REGULATIONS ON MANY FRONTS THAT HAVE HELPED THE ENVIRONMENT ALSO LOS ANGELES, THE BUSIEST PORT IN THE COUNTRY. THEY DEAL WITH A LOT OF TRUCKS.
