6 • February 15-28, 2021 Nation THETRUCKER.COM Biden’s ‘ambitious’ climate initiative targets oil, coal, natural gas sectors THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — In the most ambitious U.S. effort to stave off the worst effects of climate change, President Joe Biden issued executive orders Wednesday, Jan. 27, to cut oil, gas and coal emissions and double energy production from offshore wind turbines. The orders target federal subsidies for oil and other fossil fuels and halt new oil and gas leases on federal lands and waters. They also aim to conserve 30% of the country’s lands and ocean waters in the next 10 years and move to an all-electric federal vehicle fleet. Biden’s sweeping plan is aimed at slowing human-caused global warming, but it also carries political risk for the president and Democrats as oil- and coal-producing states face job losses from moves to sharply increase U.S. reliance on clean energy such as wind and solar power. “We can’t wait any longer”’ to address the climate crisis, Biden said at the White House. Military Service Valued TEAM DRIVERS $ 3,300UP GUARANTEED WEEKLY $1,000 BONUS TO TEAMS WITH SECURITY CLEARANCE! Named one of the BEST FLEETS TO DRIVE FOR -7 Consecutive Years HOME 100+ DAYS PER YEAR AMAZING BENEFITS • PAID HOLIDAYS, PERSONAL DAYS & VACATION APPLY ONLINE OR SPEAK TO A RECRUITER TODAY: 800-442-4004 TheTrucker.com/Boyle “We see with our own eyes. We know it in our bones. It is time to act.” He said his orders will “supercharge our administration’s ambitious plan to confront the existential threat of climate change.” Biden has set a goal of eliminating pollution from fossil fuel in the power sector by 2035 and from the U.S. economy overall by 2050, speeding what is already a market-driven growth of solar and wind energy and lessening the country’s dependence on oil and gas. The aggressive plan is aimed at slowing humancaused global warming that is magnifying extreme weather events such as deadly wildfires in the West and drenching rains and hurricanes in the East. Biden acknowledged the political risk, repeatedly stating that his approach would create jobs in the renewable energy and automotive sectors to offset any losses in oil, coal or natural gas. AND PER TEAM “When I think of climate change and the answers to it, I think of jobs,” Biden said. “We’re going to put people to work. We’re not going to lose jobs. These aren’t pie-in-the-sky dreams. These are concrete actionable solutions. And we know how to do this.’” In a change from previous administrations of both parties, Biden also is directing agencies to focus help and investment on the low-income and minority communities that live closest to polluting refineries and other hazards, and the oil- and coal-patch towns that face job losses as the U.S. moves to sharply increase its reliance on wind, solar and other energy sources that do not emit climate-warming greenhouse gases. Biden pledged to create up to a million jobs building electric cars, as well as installing solar panels, wind turbines, “capping abandoned walls, reclaiming mines, turning old brownfield sites into the new hubs of economic growth.” See Ambitious on p9 m b Sting from page 1 b uptick in activity — and when there is a sudden uptick in activity that is more than what people were expecting, there is a shortage of drivers and you see pricing on the trucking side going higher. That’s exactly where we’re at right now.” Chris Thropp, president of Pennsylvaniabased Sage Corp., which operates Sage Truck Driving Schools, disagreed, saying he expects a more immediate impact on the number of trucking jobs directly related to fracking. “My general judgment, given that they will be banning fracking on federal land and making the whole regulatory process for oil and gas more difficult, is there are going to be fewer and fewer jobs for truck drivers. That’s a shame because they really are good jobs and that’s what really has attracted people, they can make a good amount of money,” Thropp said. “We had people coming from out west who already knew they were going to go to North Dakota and West Texas, they had jobs waiting for them and they were really very high paying jobs,” he continued. “I do anticipate, given the kind of regulatory clamp that they’re going to put on fossil fuel generally, you’re going to see less opportunity for drivers.” Thropp said that from the enhanced regulatory landscape governing fracking and other fossil fuel production, it’s a short hop to other regulations in the name of environmental quality. These, he said, will potentially be equally difficult for the industry to absorb. “We’ve already seen the impact, particularly the emissions standards on trucks, because the diesel particulate filters (DPFs) have been very difficult to deal with,” he said. “Especially for students, where our trucks don’t run at highway speeds and temperatures, the DPF doesn’t really work. We have very expensive repairs as a result of that. That’s just one example of what’s occurring with environmental regulations that aren’t thought through very well.” According to a report last November by the International Transport Forum (ITF), freight accounts for 7% of total global CO2 emissions, with trucking being the largest contributor. Given AP Photo/Evan Vucci Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry speaks during a press briefing at the White House. this statistic, the industry hasn’t been standing still when it comes to modifying equipment and protocols to improve its environmental impact, such as exploring creative ways to reduce miles logged either while empty or at less-than-truckload. Empty miles are estimated to have generated about 17% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2017, per Convoy Research. Greener trucks are also being developed by several automakers, with Daimler, Volvo and even Tesla at various stages of testing electric models. The Western States Hydrogen Alliance is among entities pushing hydrogen-electric engine technology through various partnerships, while other companies are exploring ways to leverage renewable natural gas (RNG) technology. Advanced technology that helps drivers lock in on optimal speeds and acceleration and which rely on sensors for everything from tire pressure to aerodynamics are also expected to greatly improve fuel efficiency — all of which, Thropp said, comes at a cost. “I think there’s no question that climate change is going to be a big focus of the Biden administration, and I think there are a lot of unknowns there in terms of equipment,” he said. “For our particular business, as electrification takes place and diesel engines are slowly phased out and electric motors and electrified vehicles are developed, the whole training program has to be reassessed. That’s going to be an enormous change.” Despite all of this, Thropp remains optimistic overall about the future of truck driving as a career. “What drives people to go into this business, mostly, is trucking provides a good income, and it’s not a very long tail on the training time,” he said. “There are definitely some developments on the horizon, like automated driving, that could end up attracting a lot more people. Newer trucks that have automated transmissions and are safer and more comfortable could end up attracting people to the industry.” In terms of driver training and the demand for drivers, Thropp described his view as “bullish.” “I think no matter what the technology is, (trucking is) a very good job, regardless of whether it’s diesel or electric trucks,” he stated. There’s going to be a big demand for drivers.” 8
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