EPA has approved a California rule that will require warehouses in the Los Angeles area to reduce or mitigate “indirect” emissions of pollution from visiting trucks.
The rule, which was unsuccessfully challenged in court, is the first time regulators have targeted such “indirect” emissions from major sectors. Environmentalists hope to replicate that success for two more significant sources of emissions in the South Coast region — rail yards and ports.
The rule from the South Coast Air Quality Management District, which covers some 17 million residents in the city of Los Angeles and surrounding counties, requires warehouses in the region to earn points for reducing emissions or pay a mitigation fee for the emissions of trucks that visit the facilities. The rule also covers warehouses’ onsite emissions from sources such as diesel backup generators.
Warehouses can earn points under the Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions, or WAIRE, program by installing zero-emission charging infrastructure, putting in solar panels or paying for air filtration systems in places like nearby schools. Facilities that don’t earn enough points must pay a fee.
