Railroad industry representatives filed a lawsuit on June 16 to block new emission rules in California they say would disrupt the rail industry and force the premature retirement of about 25,000 diesel-powered locomotives nationwide.
The new rules would ban the use of locomotives more than 23 years old starting in 2030 and would force railroads to set aside more than $1 billion a year starting in the fall to purchase zero-emission locomotives and related equipment, but industry officials say there aren’t enough zero-emission vehicles available to replace the ones that would be retired.
Due to California ports’ crucial role and the way railroads pass off trains to each other, the state’s mandate would have significant effects nationwide….