Under the rulemaking, EPA proposed a number of changes and clarifications for standards respecting "glider kits" and "glider vehicles." A glider kit is a chassis for a tractor-trailer with a frame, front axle, interior and exterior cab, and brakes. However, EPA’s efforts to delay and repeal the rule have prompted criticism from some trucking industry officials, state air agencies, environmentalists, and other lawmakers who fear that increasing production of glider vehicles could result in a fractured vehicle market and significantly higher in-use emissions of air pollutants associated with a host of adverse human health effects, including premature mortality. Some in Congress have supported the Trump Administration’s efforts to reverse the standards and provide relief to the affected glider vehicle assembler industry. On July 26, 2018, EPA (under acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler) stated that it would “move as expeditiously as possible on a regulatory revision regarding the requirements that apply to the introduction of glider vehicles into commerce to the extent consistent with statutory requirements and due consideration of air quality impacts.” A rule has not been finalized. On November 16, 2017, EPA (under Administrator Scott Pruitt) proposed to repeal the emission standards and other requirements for heavy-duty glider vehicles, glider engines, and glider kits. The petitioners argued that EPA lacks the authority to regulate glider vehicles under the CAA because they could not be considered “new motor vehicles.” The petitioners asserted that the benefit of a glider vehicle over a new truck is a more affordable, reliable, and fuel efficient vehicle for purchasing that requires less maintenance, yields less downtime, and yet offers a range of currently available safety features and amenities. Subsequent to the Phase 2 rulemaking, EPA received petitions for reconsideration for, among other provisions, the glider requirements. Under the Phase 2 rulemaking, EPA estimated that NOx and PM emissions from glider vehicles using pre-2002 engines (prior to exhaust aftertreatment requirements) could be 20-40 times higher than current engines. At the time, the older model year engines being used in glider vehicles were not required to meet current EPA emission standards for nitrogen oxide and particulate matter (which began in 2007 and took full effect in 2010). EPA and various commentators interpreted this change to be more than an attempt to replace damaged chassis, seeing it instead as an attempt by glider vehicle assemblers to circumvent various federal regulations. That is, in the decade leading up to the rulemaking, sales of glider vehicles increased by an order of magnitude-from several hundred annually to several thousand or more. Under the rulemaking, EPA and various commentators argued that glider vehicles should be considered “new motor vehicles” under the Clean Air Act (CAA) because of recent changes in the glider market. The rule sets limits for glider vehicles similar to those for new trucks, with some exemptions. The Phase 2 rule contains GHG and criteria air pollution emission standards for glider vehicles. Glider kits and glider vehicles are produced arguably for purposes such as allowing the reuse of relatively new powertrains from damaged vehicles. The final manufacturer of the glider vehicle (i.e., the entity that assembles the parts) is typically a different entity than the original manufacturer of the glider kit. Engines are often salvaged from earlier model year vehicles, remanufactured, and installed in the glider kit. It becomes a glider vehicle when an engine, transmission, and rear axle are added. Under the rulemaking, EPA proposed a number of changes and clarifications for standards respecting “glider kits” and “glider vehicles.” A glider kit is a chassis for a tractor-trailer with a frame, front axle, interior and exterior cab, and brakes. The rule affects commercial long-haul tractor-trailers, vocational vehicles, and heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration jointly published the second phase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles and engines.
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