Today, the Biden administration announced the National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy. This new strategy will coordinate and increase investments in zero-emission medium and heavy-duty vehicle infrastructure across sectors to achieve a zero-emission freight network by 2040. Communities of color and low-income communities are often located around freight corridors, where the accompanying pollution is responsible for disproportionate rates of asthma and other respiratory illnesses. After the announcement, Earthjustice Legislative Representative Athena Motavvef issued the following statement:

“We’re pleased the Biden administration is adopting this inaugural strategy to clean up dirty freight corridors. Diesel pollution associated with freight trucks has real health impacts, including asthma and other respiratory issues that disproportionately impact communities of color and low-income communities living close to freight corridors. We hope the distribution of these investments will include meaningful community engagement, as they could have significant health impacts, while helping us meet our climate and environmental justice goals.

“We also urge caution on the decision to include hydrogen as part of a climate and pollution reduction strategy. Electrifying cars, trucks, and buses is a better approach to eliminating greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants than deploying hydrogen. We look forward to working with the Biden administration on this new strategy and urging them to invest in electrification efforts that are not reliant on hydrogen production.”