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TAKE ACTION NOW: Tell EPA to NOT Roll Back Diesel Truck Pollution Standards

See instructions below to make your voice heard!

The US Environmental Protection Agency has proposed weakening tailpipe pollution standards for heavy duty diesel trucks, a move that public health advocates warn would undo years of progress on clean air and endanger Illinois residents’ lung health.

EPA Gutting Health Protections Set in 2024

In 2024, the EPA set strict tailpipe standards requiring new diesel trucks sold starting in 2027 to run as clean as possible and stay clean running for longer. Under current leadership, the agency is now proposing to roll back several of those protections.

Diesel trucks make up just 7% of vehicles on Illinois roads, but they are responsible for two-thirds of smog pollution and nearly 60% of the deadly fine particle soot produced by vehicles statewide.

The rollback under consideration would:

  • Cut pollution control warranties from 425,000 miles to just 100,000 miles, down to roughly one year of use for a typical heavy duty truck.
  • Shorten durability requirements. Current law requires pollution controls to last 650,000 miles, about six years. The EPA is proposing to cut that by at least a third, delay enforcement for at least three years, and is weighing eliminating the requirement altogether.
  • Loosen repair enforcement. Trucks with broken pollution controls currently cannot fully operate until repairs are made. Under the new proposal, a dashboard warning light would be the only requirement, allowing polluting trucks to keep running for weeks or months before being fixed.

Your Health is Being Threatened

Diesel tailpipe pollution is already linked to more than 8,400 premature deaths, 497,000 missed work days, and $93.9 billion in health related costs nationwide each year. It is a well documented asthma trigger and is associated with higher rates of respiratory hospitalization, stroke, heart attack, and lung cancer.

In Illinois specifically:

  • An estimated 5 to 6 residents’ lives are cut short by vehicle pollution every day, according to recent research.
  • Vehicle pollution causes more than 1,900 premature deaths and 1,200 new pediatric asthma cases in the state each year, largely tied to the production and burning of gasoline and diesel.
  • A Northwestern University study found that removing just 30% of polluting trucks from the Chicago area could save more than 600 lives per year.

How YOU Can Help

The EPA is accepting public comment on the proposed rollback. Health advocates argue that keeping the current standards in place, including strong warranty requirements and enforcement against disabled pollution controls, is essential to protecting air quality gains made in recent years.

Make Your Voice Heard

The EPA is accepting public comments on this proposal, and residents are encouraged to weigh in before a final decision is made.

How to submit a comment:

  1. Email a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov
  2. In the subject line, include: Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2026-0728
  3. In your message, share why clean air matters to you and ask the EPA to keep current pollution control requirements in place for heavy duty diesel trucks. You can write as much or as little as you like, and may include personal or contact information if you choose. Keep in mind that public comments become public record, so it’s safest to stick to basics like your full name and hometown. Addresses and phone numbers included in your email will also become public.

If you’d like to share a copy of your comment with RHA, BCC Brian Urbaszewski at burbaszewski@resphealth.org when you send it.