On Feb. 12, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed Obama-era federal emissions standards on new vehicles that includes school buses. The intent was announced last summer.

The ruling rescinds the 2009 Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding, which served as a prerequisite for regulating emissions from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines. This means that engine and vehicle manufacturers no longer have any future obligations for the measurement, control, and reporting of GHG emissions for any highway engine and vehicle.

The agency concluded that Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act did not provide statutory authority for EPA to prescribe motor vehicle and engine emission standards in the manner previously utilized, including for the purpose of addressing global climate change, and therefore "has no legal basis."

The EPA said it now finds that even if the U.S. were to eliminate all GHG emissions from all vehicles, there would be no material impact on global climate indicators through 2100.

Note: This action does not eliminate rules for traditional air pollutants like NOx or particulate matter, so emissions standards that affect engine performance and air quality will still apply.

The agency held an extended 52-day public comment period, which included four days of virtual public hearings where more than 600 individuals testified. EPA received about 572,000 public comments on the proposed rule and made substantial updates to the final rule in response to comments.

According to an NBC News report, environmental groups have disputed the administration's stance and are preparing to sue in response to its repeal.

Industry Reactions

Environmental Groups

The World Resources Institute, which powers the Electric School Bus Initiative, broke down the repeal on its website, warning of how the change may affect the U.S.' global standing. Referencing the Clean Air Act, WRI wrote that: "By repealing this finding, the EPA removes the scientific and legal basis that requires federal regulation of greenhouse gases, weakening protections for people, the environment and the economy... In practical terms, without the endangerment finding, regulating greenhouse gas emissions is no longer a legal requirement."

CALSTART’s CEO, Michael Berube, also issued the following statement in response to the action: “The U.S. transportation sector accounts for more GHG emissions than any other sector of the economy. At a time when countries across the world are reducing emissions from vehicles while improving affordability and building a new clean transportation industry, the U.S. is taking a step backwards on its blueprint for transportation decarbonization.

“Today’s EPA announcement ignores the significant progress U.S. industry has made toward a lower-emissions economy and represents a major step back for clean transportation and American competitiveness. Weakening vehicle standards and undermining the endangerment finding injects uncertainty into the market at a moment when global competition for clean vehicle leadership is accelerating.

“Private-sector innovators and manufacturers have invested hundreds of billions of dollars into developing cutting-edge, cleaner, more-efficient vehicle technologies — strengthening our domestic supply chains, creating high-quality jobs, and positioning U.S. companies to compete in a rapidly growing global market."

School Districts

The School Transportation Association of Indiana shared the news on Facebook, commenting "Bus manufacturers are no longer legally mandated by the federal government to meet the specific 2027–2032 decarbonization targets. This rule makes it easier and cheaper for school districts to continue buying diesel and gas-powered buses."

One Indiana director said in response: "It will be interesting to see how the OEMs respond with pricing, since the diesel engine innovation and associated development expenses have already been incurred in anticipation of the previously-scheduled January 1, 2027 EPA emissions restrictions."

OEMs

A spokesperson from Thomas Built Buses shared the following comment in response to the news: "Daimler Truck North America appreciates the recent EPA actions that rescinded all federal GHG standards for commercial vehicles and continues to meet all applicable emissions regulations, including current federal NOx standards. This added flexibility reinforces the importance of a market-driven, technology-neutral approach, and supports long-term investment decisions of manufacturers and customers to reduce emissions while reflecting manufacturing realities and customer needs. 

"Our future truck, bus and engine development continues to be driven by those NOx regulations, along with customer expectations for efficiency, durability, and total cost of ownership. So, while the GHG rollback offers more flexibility, it does not change the technologies pathway for 2027 and beyond."

School Bus Fleet has reached out to several other school bus industry manufacturers for comment and will update this post accordingly.