
An Oregon House committee heard arguments for and against a bill that would delay implementation of Advanced Clean Trucks by two years as the trucking industry struggles to meet requirements for Class 7-8 trucks.
On Thursday, Jan. 30, the Oregon House Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment held a hearing for HB 3119. If signed into law, the bill would prohibit the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) from implementing Advanced Clean Trucks rules before Jan. 1, 2027.
Oregon is one of five states to begin Advanced Clean Trucks this year, the first batch of states to do so since California started the regulation last year. The rule requires 7% of new Class 7-8 tractor truck sales to be zero-direct-emission trucks, ramping up to 40% by 2032. Zero-emission sales targets are higher for smaller trucks.
Advanced Clean Trucks sales targets apply to manufacturers only. However, manufacturers are requiring dealers to sell one electric truck before they can order about 13 diesel trucks in order to stay compliant. There is virtually zero demand for zero-emission Class 7-8 trucks, forcing dealers to cancel diesel truck orders due to lack of inventory.
Lawmakers and stakeholders supporting and opposing a delay stated their case before the committee. The bill has attracted a lot of attention, with nearly 600 written testimonies submitted.
HB 3119 ‘a layup’
Those supporting delaying Advanced Clean Trucks brought up a lack of charging infrastructure, technological infeasibility and costs.
Bill sponsor Rep. Shelly Boshart Davis, R-Albany, pointed out that Oregon has only one public charging station for heavy-duty trucks. She said that the two-year delay for Advanced Clean Trucks is necessary to build out that infrastructure.
“Even if the state would be willing to spend the money needed to install chargers throughout the state, and somehow changed land use laws to park all these trucks somewhere to charge, and changed the federal hours-of-service laws to allow these truck drivers to be able to rest while charging and still complete their normal haul, and had the money to invest in companies upgrading their fleets to EVs that cost twice as much, and started that all today, it would be years before this would happen. And yet the rules are already implemented,” Boshart Davis said.
Boshart Davis told the committee that electric trucks cost twice as much as diesel trucks but haul 25% less while traveling about half the distance. She noted that “the math doesn’t math.”
The Albany representative submitted a chart showing the massive improvements in diesel engine emission standards over the decades. She said the industry has been doing a great job addressing emission without regulatory pressure.
“Please look at the teeny tiny red square in the corner,” Boshart Davis said. “Today’s truck is not a truck from the 80s rolling coal. As the daughter of a trucker and the now-owner of the trucking company he started, I have watched this transition in the industry my entire life. It is an understatement to say trucks we’re driving today are cleaner than when my dad started driving in the early 80s. It’s not even comparable. This progress demonstrates the industry’s commitment to environmental stewardship while maintaining the reliability and performance that working people depend on.”
Reps. Darin Harbick, R-Eastern Lane County, and Ed Diehl, R-Stayton, echoed Boshart Davis’ arguments. Harbick, who owns a log trucking company, said current technology doesn’t allow his short-haul operation to complete a single trip. He asked the committee to consider delaying Advanced Clean Trucks beyond what the bill calls for.
“I’d appreciate it if you passed this bill,” Harbick said. “But actually, look at extending it past the two years to four to five years, because I’m not hearing in the current federal administration (saying) ‘Charging station, baby, charging station.’”
Sean Waters, Daimler Truck North America’s vice president of product compliance and regulatory affairs, said the manufacturer’s Class 8 zero-emission truck sales are insufficient to meet Advanced Clean Trucks requirements. Portland, Ore.-based DTNA has a 40% market share in Class 8 trucks.
Boshart Davis and others supporting HB 3119 said the bill is a simple compromise allowing the technology to catch up with the rules.
“Colleagues, this is an easy solution; it’s a layup,” Boshart Davis said. “We have a chance to delay rules that require Oregon businesses to sell products that don’t exist, without support, and that people don’t want. If they did, these mandates wouldn’t be needed.”
HB 3119 ‘a red herring’
Meanwhile, the Oregon DEQ and private stakeholders claim it is too late to delay Advanced Clean Trucks and that the technology is ready, anyway.
DEQ Director Leah Feldon acknowledged many of the arguments supporting the bill, including limited flexibilities and only one existing public charging station. However, she doubled down on Advanced Clean Trucks. She said delaying the rule would undercut manufacturers that are delivering zero-emission trucks and could compromise competitiveness for charging infrastructure funding.
Rachel Sakata, DEQ’s transportation strategies section manager, argued that “the industry is showing that they’re zero-emission vehicle ready” by pointing to more than 1,000 zero-emission trucks already sold and more than 190 different zero-emission truck types available. However, most of those trucks are not Class 7-8 tractors.
Two manufacturers testified against delaying Advanced Clean Trucks: Rivian and Tesla.
Noelani Derrickson, who works in public policy at Tesla, claimed the Tesla Semi has demonstrated long-haul capabilities with its purported ability to travel 1,000 miles in one day. She also claimed the Semi performs fine in cold, mountainous areas. Derrickson said availability would not be an issue, as Tesla plans to manufacture “several thousand” Semi trucks next year.
Derrickson also noted that Tesla opposes HB 3119, calling it “a red herring.” Tesla expects those asking for a delay in Advanced Clean Trucks today will “come back in two years asking for further delay or a repeal,” she said.
“(Advanced Clean Trucks) aims to motivate these mostly massive corporations to design and offer decarbonized vehicles that fleets want,” Derrickson added.
Tom Van Heeke, senior policy advisor at Rivian, said Advanced Clean Trucks provides companies with much-needed certainty. Rivian manufacturers electric-only light-duty pickup trucks and SUVs, as well as delivery vans most commonly associated with Amazon.
What’s next?
Although HB 3119 is gaining some traction, the federal government could render it moot.
HB 3119 garnered 570 testimony submissions, including 395 in support, 170 opposed and five neutral. It still sits in the Committee on Climate, Energy and Environment, which could recommend it to the Joint Committee on Transportation.
However, President Donald Trump’s administration could wipe Advanced Clean Trucks from the books. Trump signed an executive order “to eliminate the ‘electric vehicle (EV) mandate,’” including terminating “state emissions waivers that function to limit sales of gasoline-powered automobiles.” That could put Advanced Clean Trucks on the chopping block.
Feldon said the DEQ is monitoring “the policy landscape.” Until then, she is pursuing multistate flexibilities for Class 7-8 tractors. That could include credit pooling that allows excess credits in one state, like California, to be transferred to Oregon and other Advanced Clean Trucks states. In the meantime, the agency is bringing everyone to the table to seek other solutions.
“I have directed my agency to approach that conversation by meeting with truck manufacturers, dealers and environmental groups to hear concerns, evaluate the market and work together to find a path forward that bridges the gap between environmental protection and business interests,” Feldon said. LL
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