Court Stops Truck Rules

PATRICIA-ANNE TOM

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that Southern California's clean air agency cannot prohibit fleets from leasing or purchasing vehicles equipped with diesel engines that meet federal and state regulations.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) initially required public and commercial fleets only to purchase certain approved vehicles that would help bring the region into compliance with federal clean air standards. The regulations essentially forced the use of trucks equipped with alternative fuel engines, say industry experts.

However, in doing so, the court said the agency overstepped Congressional and state standards.

“If one state or political subdivision may enact such rules, then so may any other; and the end result would undo Congress's carefully calibrated regulatory scheme,” wrote Justice Antonin Scalia in the majority opinion.