CARB Poised To Advance Locomotive Rule Amid Legal Threats, Pushback

The California air board is poised to advance a novel regulation to reduce emissions from locomotives through a clean technology-purchasing requirement and phaseout of dirtier engines, amid legal threats from engine makers who charge the rules are preempted by federal law and pushback from municipal railway operators. The proposed California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulations “appear to establish emissions-related [zero emission (ZE)]-locomotive purchase mandates that amount to federally preempted emission standards for new locomotives,” and “unreasonably restrict the definitions of...