Amendment ID: S3050-86
Amendment 86
The Truck Emissions Reduction Program
Messrs. Moore and Payano move that the proposed new draft be amended in section 2A, in item 2200-7027, by adding the following words:- “; provided further that not less than $10,000,000 shall be expended for the Truck Emissions Reduction Program;” and by striking the number “$27,800,000” and inserting the number “$37,800,000” in place thereof.
; And further by inserting after section __ the following sections:-
SECTION __. Chapter 21N of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2024 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 12 the following new section:-
Section 13. Truck Emissions Reduction Program.
(a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-
“Heavy-duty vehicle”, any vehicle powered by diesel fuel having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 26,000 pounds.
“Medium-duty vehicle”, any vehicle powered by diesel fuel having a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 14,000 pounds but not more than 26,000 pounds.
“Eligible clean replacement vehicle”, a vehicle meeting or exceeding applicable emissions standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the California Air Resources Board, including but not limited to advanced clean diesel, hybrid, electric, hydrogen fuel cell, or other zero‑ or near‑zero‑emission vehicles.
(b) The department, in consultation with the department of energy resources and the department of transportation, shall establish and administer a program to provide financial incentives to owners of medium‑ and heavy‑duty diesel vehicles to retire and replace such vehicles with eligible clean replacement vehicles.
(c) To qualify for incentives under this section, an eligible vehicle shall: (i) be a medium‑duty or heavy‑duty vehicle powered by diesel fuel; (ii) be of model year 2010 or older; and (iii) have been registered and operated in the commonwealth for not less than 3 consecutive years immediately preceding the application for program participation.
(d) Replacement vehicles shall be model year 2024 or newer and shall meet or exceed applicable emissions standards established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency or the California Air Resources Board, as adopted by the commonwealth.
(e) Financial incentives under this section may include, but shall not be limited to: (i) direct payments; (ii) grants; or (iii) vouchers or rebates applied toward the purchase or lease of replacement vehicles. Such incentives shall be provided upon verification that an eligible vehicle has been permanently retired and scrapped in accordance with program requirements.
(f) The department may prioritize incentives for: (i) small businesses operating fleets of fewer than 50 vehicles; (ii) vehicles operating in environmental justice communities; (iii) vehicles with the highest annual mileage or emissions impacts; and (iv) fleets serving essential public functions including construction, transportation, towing, food distribution, health care, waste hauling, delivery services, and municipal operations.
(g) The program may utilize existing state or federal funds available for diesel emissions reduction, transportation decarbonization, or air quality improvement programs including, but not limited to: (i) funds received through federal diesel emissions reduction programs; (ii) Volkswagen environmental mitigation trust funds; (iii) federal infrastructure or climate funding programs; (iv) state clean transportation initiatives administered by the department of environmental protection, the department of energy resources or the department of transportation or (v) other public or private funding sources designated for the truck emissions reduction program.
(h) The department may promulgate regulations or issue guidance necessary to implement this section including eligibility criteria, incentive levels, scrappage requirements, program administration procedures, and verification of emissions reductions.
(i) The department shall submit an annual report to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives and to the joint committee on transportation and the joint committee on environment and natural resources. The report shall include: (i) the number and type of vehicles retired; (ii) the number and type of replacement vehicles deployed; (iii) estimated emissions reductions achieved; (iv) geographic distribution of program participation; (v) program expenditures; and (vi) recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the program.
SECTION __. The department shall develop and launch the program established under this act not later than 12 months following the effective date of this act.