The Environmental Protection Agency has released text of its proposal to change the way glider kits - those truck chassis that are sold as incomplete trucks which will later be fitted with either new or used engines, transmissions, and other components - are viewed regarding the GHG Phase 2 emission standard put in place by the Obama administration.
The EPA proposal, issued Thursday, seeks to clarify that glider kit trucks "would not be treated as new motor vehicles" and that their engines (often older models built before 2002/2004 emissions standards took effect) would not be regulated as a new motor vehicle engine, thus relieving the trucks from the regulations which guide new vehicles.
EPA estimates 10,000 glider kits are sold each year by companies such as Fitzgerald Glider Kits in Byrdstown, Tennessee. According to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, “Gliders not only provide a more affordable option for smaller owners and operators, but also serve as a key economic driver to numerous rural communities.”
EPA received petitions to remove gliders from the 2016 rule from companies that sell and use gliders, arguing that they cannot be regulated. In August, Pruitt agreed to formally consider the requests.
“This action does not affect nor propose to affect EPA’s authority to address heavy-duty engine rebuilding practices under the Clean Air Act,” the EPA said.
EPA will accept public comments on the proposal until January 5 and will hold a public hearing at EPA headquarters in Washington on December 4.
This story has been updated.
image: Fitzgerald Glider Kits
