CARB Regulation: Flexibility for Vehicles Needed for Emergencies

Towing Emergency Equipment

• CARB must provide more flexibility in its rules for emergency vehicle exemptions, or it will put untold numbers of lives and property at risk. Support vehicles critical to emergency response should have the same exemptions as fire trucks, ambulances and police cars.
• The infrastructure to support a fleet of ZEV vehicles simply does not exist, and even if it did, it would be useless in a power outage…which is a common occurrence in an emergency or disaster.
• CARB should define ‘essential service’ based on the actual purpose of a vehicle, not just what it is. A water tender truck is just as essential to emergency response as the fire engine it replenishes.
• Protecting our environment and protecting lives and property are not mutually exclusive – we can do both with thoughtful policy that reflects real operational needs for public fleets, as well as market realities.
• By building flexibility into its ZEV mandate, CARB can ensure public agencies can effectively support our first responders and help protect lives and property.
• We cannot and must not leave Californians defenseless against the very climate-related events CARB is striving to mitigate with its mandate. That’s why the vast majority of Californian voters - more than 75 percent - support more flexibility in CARB’s ZEV rules.

Return to Main Page