The trucking industry is leery about the potential results of the California Air Resources Board’s new, tougher standards for fine particulate matter.

CARB voted unanimously last week to limit the quantity of particulates 2.5 microns wide – one-thirtieth of the diameter of a human hair – to a standard stricter than that of the federal government: 12 micrograms per cubic meter of air, compared with EPA’s 15 micrograms. The board also tightened another standard for 10-micron particles from 30 micrograms to 20.
The new limits are the first step toward regulating the sources of the pollution. Regulations will likely include diesel exhaust.
Stephanie Williams, vice president of the California Trucking Assn., said new regulations could damage the state’s trucking industry. New regulations could require California trucking companies to use engines and fuel that are more expensive than trucks from other states.
The Engine Manufacturers Assn. also objected to the new standards, saying they would be burdensome and expensive.