A federal judge struck down a legal challenge by the trucking and aviation industry to repeal a rule that cuts down truck pollution from warehouses. The rule — formally known as the warehouse indirect source rule — was adopted in 2021 by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) to reduce emissions caused by diesel trucks.
The California Trucking Association and Airlines for America, who’re suing the AQMD, argue the agency has no authority to regulate truck pollution. The lawsuit alleges that role instead belongs to the federal government per the Clean Air Act.
Federal Judge John Kronstadt wrote in his ruling that local air districts and state agencies have the right to protect people from harmful air pollution.
AQMD says that since October, 109 warehouse operators have failed to comply with their warehouse rule. More than half those violations are from warehouses in the Inland Empire.
Several environmental justice groups and NGOs, along with California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta, intervened in the lawsuit on the side of the local air district. They believe the rule can help thousands of people impacted by air pollution. The region is consistently plagued with some of the worst smog nationally.
“The Indirect Source Rule is essential for protecting our community’s health,” said Andrea Vidaurre of the People’s Collective for Environmental Justice (PC4EJ) in a press statement. “So we’re grateful to see environmental protections prevail over polluters with this decision.”
Bobbi Jo Chavarria is chairwoman of the Sierra Club San Gorgonio chapter and lives in Fontana. She says people living near warehouses see the court’s decision as a win.
“Doing the right things for our community is holding this goods movement industry to a higher standard,” she said in a phone interview.
AQMD said in a statement, “they’re pleased to see that the court’s ruling verifies that federal law does not preclude the rule.”
The California Trucking Association and Airlines for America did not respond to requests for comment.
