SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The railroad industry on Friday sued to block new environmental rules in California, arguing they would force the premature retirement of about 25,000 diesel-powered locomotives across the country long before their zero-emission counterparts are ready to take their place.
The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the California Air Resources Board does not have the authority to issue these rules. The trade groups say that only the federal government can regulate railroads because it is an interconnected industry that crosses state lines. They note that more than 500 companies all share the 180,000 miles of track across 49 states, Canada and Mexico.
CARB spokesperson Lys Mendez said Friday the board had not yet seen the lawsuit and would not comment on it. Alicia Aguayo, a spokesperson for the advocacy group People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, is also not surprised by the lawsuit. For more than two decades, Aguayo lived near a BNSF railyard in San Bernardino, California. Aguayo, whose brother has asthma, is concerned about the health risks diesel pollution from locomotives poses to residents.
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