October 1, 2024 - SACRAMENTO, CA— On Monday, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria announced that Governor Newsom has signed her bill, AB 2900.
AB 2900 requires the California Air Resources Board to provide technical assistance to help small agricultural truck owners upgrade their truck fleets to comply with the state’s clean air goals.
“Many of our truck drivers are independent owner-operators or are small businesses with truck fleets that primarily serve our agricultural economy.” said Assemblywoman Soria. “And they need and deserve our help to successfully transition their vehicles to meet California’s clean air goals. I’m grateful that the Governor recognizes the importance of providing assistance to small truck owners and that he signed AB 2900 into law.”
The agricultural sector has long been the backbone of the Central Valley’s economy, and it relies on the trucking industry to deliver goods to California neighborhood grocery stores and across the United States. At the same time, California has set ambitious emission reduction goals across all transportation sectors. Transitioning heavy-duty diesel trucks has proven challenging for owner-operators and owners of small truck fleets that primarily serve the agricultural community.
AB 2900 will help California’s small agricultural truck owners navigate state requirements to successfully transition to emission-compliant trucks, while ensuring that the state’s shift to cleaner vehicles does not leave behind the small farmers who have helped make California the largest agricultural exporter in the United States.
“Ensuring agricultural truckers are provided the support needed to comply with emissions requirements is critical to improving the San Joaquin Valley’s air quality,” said Samir Sheikh, Executive Director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. “We are grateful that Governor Newsom recognizes the importance of these efforts, and we appreciate Assemblywoman Soria’s work to bring AB 2900 across the finish line.”
Source: Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria
