As an incredible 3-part Frontline series on the Power of Big Oil discusses with some of the people involved, the industry has long used its money to buy the appearance of grassroots public support for its policy preferences.
The latest is an effort to water down a proposed EPA regulation on smog- and soot-forming nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) and stronger greenhouse gas emission standards for trucks and some big commercial vehicles. Unlike the old school denial covered in Frontline, the new disinfo keeps with the times and looks like it’s embracing the goals of the proposed rule while calling on people to submit comments undercutting it.
With a website and Twitter account called “CleanTruckFacts” and a design and text that soothingly reassures viewers that “cleaner trucks are here. And zero-emission vehicles are on the horizon.” Sounds lovely!
Continuing, the website says, “it’s time to craft a new national rule to further reduce tailpipe emissions from heavy-duty trucks, without inhibiting fleet turnover or slowing progress toward the real goal of zero emissions.” Wait, what? Of course the EPA isn’t going to slow progress — why would they imply that?
Especially when what they’re asking is for people to tell the EPA to take the weaker of two options up for consideration, and then water it down even further! The first option EPA is asking for public comment on would, according to a fact sheet, “implement stronger NOx standards in two steps,” one in 2027 and another in 2031, that would end up with a 90% reduction. The second option is a single step in 2027, but would be weaker and ultimately “would achieve less NOx emissions reductions than Option 1.”
Naturally, that’s what the “clean” truck facts website is steering people towards, but even that’s too much. Here’s the key quote from the stock message — that does not allow for editing — they’re encouraging people to submit to the EPA with a form you can put your name on but not otherwise change in any way: “Specifically, EPA must reject Option 1 and revise Option 2. An overly aggressive standard will result in higher costs for fleet operators, jeopardize thousands of good-paying jobs, slow the transition to zero-emission vehicles, and fail to achieve the desired environmental benefits.”
Just like every other climate disinformation campaign, this one from the Trucking industry uses the standard excuses for inaction: costs and jobs. It’s never true, but that hasn’t stopped them from repeating it, shrouding it around polluter-profit-prioritizing policies.
And it’s definitely industry behind the wheel. Because while CleanTruckFacts doesn’t have any sort of “about” section on its website, it does have a disclaimer at the very bottom: This website is owned and operated by EMA. Oh! Okay! Literally just a project of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association, the industry that will be forced to clean itself up if these rules are adopted, or get to keep lazily and profitably polluting if they have their way.
Make sure they don’t, and submit a comment of your own! (Perhaps pointing out the disinfo headed the EPA’s way thanks to the truck lobby?)
