Oregon environmental regulators could once again delay implementation of medium-to-heavy duty clean truck rules — giving the commercial trucking industry more time for the technology and infrastructure to develop across the state.
On Thursday, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s commission heard an update from staff on the temporary Clean Truck Rules.
Last year, the commission adopted those rules, which outlined when stricter emissions standards would go into effect for medium-to-heavy duty trucks. The rules also gave more flexibility to manufacturers selling these vehicles.
But Environmental Quality Commission chair Matt Donegan says there are still issues with the rules — and a delay may not be the right solution.
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FILE – Undated photo of Daimler’s eCascadia and the eM2 in Portland, Ore. Oregon regulators may delay clean truck rules, giving the trucking industry more time to adapt.
Courtesy of Daimler Trucks North America
“I get the request, but so many of the concerns that have been expressed are very long-term structural in nature, and it seems to me that we should be kind of modeling out what the long-term compliance pathway would be,” he said.
He asked DEQ to develop a long-term compliance scenario that could include outlining how far the state’s charging infrastructure has come, and what’s needed to build out more chargers, especially in rural areas.
The Oregon Department of Energy is currently developing an energy strategy report that could include modeling for a compliance pathway that would require a 100% electric vehicle sales by 2040. That report is expected to be released in November.
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“What I don’t want to be is in the position where we’re getting the next request for another delay because all of these long-term issues aren’t going to get addressed by 2027,” Donegan said. “We should be getting out ahead of that.”
Potential roads for the Clean Truck Rules
According to DEQ transportation strategy section manager Rachel Sakata, greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector account for 35% of the state’s overall emissions and are one of the fastest growing sources of those emissions.
“Communities who are exposed to these emissions suffer disproportionately from or at higher risk of a variety of health conditions, including lungs, heart, nervous system and developmental diseases.”
To help curb those emissions and improve public health, DEQ adopted the Clean Truck Rules.
The rules have two sections. The Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Rules require truck engine manufacturers to meet tougher emission standards for particulate matter and for nitrogen oxides pollution, which are the result of combustion of fossil fuels in vehicles.
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Oregon to temporarily delay zero-emission trucks rules
The Advanced Clean Truck Rules require manufacturers to make zero emissions electric vehicles a growing percentage of their sales of medium to heavy-duty vehicles, like large pick-up trucks, buses and 18-wheelers, starting with the 2025 model year. The rules would gradually limit the sale of diesel engine heavy duty trucks, depending on class size, but would not implement a complete ban on the sales of these vehicles.
The rules are set to be updated to align with California’s vehicle and truck emission standards. Oregon is one of 10 states that have opted to adopt California’s standards for these vehicles.
The Environmental Quality Commission must adopt permanent rules by July. Advocates from the trucking industry are calling for an extended delay for the Heavy-Duty Low NOx Omnibus Rules until 2027, when federal Environmental Protection Agency regulations will be in place. Recently, EPA announced changes that could impact California’s program.
But the main focus of the commission’s Thursday meeting was on the Advanced Clean Trucks Rules. The trucking industry has previously said these rules must be delayed because there are not enough public chargers, and not enough Class 7 and 8 trucks available — like big rigs, Freightliners and cement trucks — that meet the state’s requirements.
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“We’re hearing a lot about the issues and concerns surrounding the Advanced Clean Truck’s rule,” DEQ’s Sakata said. “We’ve heard about how there’s no equivalent zero-emission vehicle model for certain types of trucks out there and concerns about whether a zero-emission vehicle truck application is able to meet their specific trucking needs, particularly for the long-haul tractor trucks.”
The temporary rules led Portland-based Daimler Truck North America to abruptly halt sales of its internal combustion engine vehicles in December after receiving incorrect information from DEQ about how it would receive credits under the recently adopted Clean Truck Rules. The company resumed sales in mid-January after clarifying the program’s rules.
But continued calls for a delay have made their way to the Oregon state Legislature, where lawmakers held a public hearing in late January.
These concerns prompted Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek to send a letter to DEQ last week asking the agency to develop a solution for Class 7 and 8 trucks while still maintaining the “integrity” of the program for other medium and heavy-duty truck classes.
A DEQ rules advisory committee is exploring possible solutions to these issues.
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Those possible solutions include issuing credits to manufacturers for the sales of new zero-emission trucks in 2024 and 2025, and pooling credits with other states like California, where sales are higher. Another proposal would distribute proportional credits.
Daimler halts diesel truck sales in Oregon over new rules
The agency is also considering evaluating the credit system every two years.
But delaying the rules could bring new complications, DEQ’s air quality planner Eric Feely said.
“Further delays to the omnibus rules would mean that Oregon would not realize air quality benefits associated with the sale of new available engines that emit 75% less oxides of nitrogen and 50% less particulate matter,” he said. “Additionally, select manufacturers have communicated that they don’t plan on delivering omnibus-compliant diesel engines to the market in 2026 at all, specifically in the medium duty engine sector.”
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A delay would also mean manufacturers would have to further increase their zero-emission vehicles sales.
This year, California’s rules require at least 7% of Class 7 and 8 truck sales to be zero emission. But in 2027, that number jumps to 15%. So if Oregon delays its clean truck rules — manufacturers here would also have that steeper 15% requirement when the rules do go into effect.
DEQ will hold a rules advisory committee meeting March 17 which is open to the public. It is the last of three public meetings scheduled. The agency then plans to propose new rules in April that will be open for public comment.
The Environmental Quality Commission is expected to vote on the proposed permanent rules in the summer.
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
