ATA Cites Concerns on Patchwork Climate Change Regs
A top trucking official urged Congress Thursday to take a cautious approach to climate change initiatives, saying the industry was concerned over the impacts of pending cap-and-trade legislation on the economy and fuel prices.
Testifying on behalf of the American Trucking Associations, Con-way Inc.’s Randy Mullett said that any climate change policy must avoid encouraging a patchwork of local, state and regional laws that could hinder the ability of the trucking industry to function in interstate commerce.
Citing the 750,000 motor carriers who deliver goods across state lines, Mullett, Con-way’s vice president of government relations and public affairs, said the industry supports federal preemption of local, state and regional climate change laws.
“The trucking industry is concerned over what cap-and-trade legislation will do to the price of fuel we consume,” Mullett told a subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
“Our industry cannot absorb rapid increases in fuel costs. The trucking industry is extremely sensitive to how climate change legislation may further escalate fuel prices. ATA is urging Congress to carefully evaluate fuel price impacts that result from climate change legislation,” he said.
Currently, governmental bodies are enacting local climate change initiatives, which Mullett said are “unworkable and impracticable” given the interstate and diverse nature of trucking.
ATA has identified six key recommendations to reduce fuel consumption and address the impact of these activities on the environment. They are:
• Reducing the national speed limit to 65 miles per hour, and setting speed governors on new trucks to limit speeds to no more than 68 mph;
• Reducing engine idling;
• Increasing fuel efficiency by encouraging participation in the Environmental Protection Agency’s SmartWay Transport Partnership Program;
• Reducing congestion by improving highways, if necessary by raising the fuels tax;
• Using more productive truck combinations; and
• Supporting national fuel economy standards for medium and heavy-duty trucks.
