The U.S. Climate Alliance submitted a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supporting California’s request for an authorization under the Clean Air Act (CAA) for the In-Use Locomotive Regulation (IULR).

Read the Letter

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2024 EPA Letter Transportation

U.S. Climate Alliance Requests EPA Approval of California’s In-Use Locomotive Regulation Authorization

April 23, 2024

The Alliance has long supported state flexibility in the Clean Air Act (CAA) that permits California to adopt, and allows other states and territories to follow, regulations that can be more protective of public health and welfare than applicable federal standards.  

 

The Alliance stands firmly in support of California’s authority as permitted under the CAA to adopt its own requirements for locomotive operations and emissions standards for non-new locomotives and engines, as well as the authority of other states and territories to voluntarily adopt those regulations. Such regulations can play a vital role in states’ ability to improve air quality, protect public health, advance environmental justice, and tackle climate change. 

 

Read the Alliance’s full letter here

About the Alliance

Launched on June 1, 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the previous administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60% of the U.S. economy and 55% of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025, at least 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.

 

The Alliance’s states and territories continue to demonstrate that climate action goes hand-in-hand with economic growth, job creation, and better public health. While reducing emissions by 18% between 2005 and 2021, Alliance members grew their collective GDP by nearly 30%. The coalition’s states and territories are employing more workers in the clean energy sector, achieving lower levels of dangerous air pollutants, and preparing more effectively for climate impacts and executing more pre-disaster planning than the rest of the country.

 

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