The American Trucking Association has come out in support of the Trump administration’s dramatic repeal February 12 of an Environmental Protection Agency rule that classified carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases as a threat to public health.

“Zero-emission truck technology in its current form does not meet the operational needs of most fleets, and remains prohibitively expensive. In addition, charging infrastructure is insufficient, and power grid constraints limit how quickly it can be built out,” said ATA Vice President of Energy & Environmental Affairs Patrick Kelly, in a statement to SupplyChainBrain. Rescinding Phase 3 is a necessary step toward a more realistic approach that protects both environmental progress and the strength of our supply chain.” 

The EPA’s endangerment finding, established under President Barack Obama in 2009, classified carbon dioxide, methane and four other greenhouse gases as a threat to public health and welfare. Now, by rescinding the legal foundation for greenhouse gas regulation, the move affects standards that apply to heavy-duty vehicles, including Class 8 commercial trucks, reshaping the federal emissions framework governing the freight sector, says ACT News. 

Although the withdrawal of oversight does not apply to regulations on stationary sources of emissions such as power plants and fossil fuel infrastructure, which are regulated under a separate section of the Clean Air Act, it will open the door to end those standards, too, says the Guardian.

The repeal is likely to be vigorously challenged in court, and also opens a new front in California’s long-running battle with Washington over its right to set its own, more stringent, emissions rules than the federal government, said CalMatters, a non-profit.

Read More: DOJ Challenges California's Emissions Standards for Trucks

“Trucking supports achievable, cost-effective national standards that drive fuel efficiency improvements and reduce emissions while preserving supply chain stability,” Kelly went on to say. “A balanced federal approach that recognizes operational realities and avoids a patchwork of state-by-state mandates is essential to ensuring continued environmental progress without disrupting the movement of goods across our country. The Phase 3 rule missed that mark. As written, it operated as a de facto electric truck mandate that was unworkable for much of our industry, and threatened our ability to deliver goods safely and reliably.”

At a White House event on February 12, Trump called the decision “the single largest deregulatory action in American history, by far,” and labeled the endangerment finding “one of the greatest scams in history” with “no basis in fact or law.”

“This is about as big as it gets,” said Trump.