Trucking news and briefs for Tuesday, March 14, 2023:
U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Delaware) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) on March 2 reintroduced their bipartisan Hydrogen Infrastructure Initiative, a package of four bills to support the adoption of hydrogen in energy-intensive sectors. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico), Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) are also cosponsors.
The Hydrogen Infrastructure Initiative is comprised of four pieces of legislation that provide targeted support to high-value end-use applications of hydrogen and the buildout of infrastructure needed to transport, store and deliver hydrogen. The initiative is focused on providing critical support for energy-intensive sectors for which hydrogen is particularly well-suited, namely maritime, trucking, and heavy industry, as well as the infrastructure that is needed to transport hydrogen from where it is produced to where it can be used and stored.
Priority is given to projects that will maximize emissions reductions to deliver the greatest environmental benefits. By lowering cost barriers and first-mover risks, the Senators said the package enables projects and partnerships that will move the United States closer to meeting the demands of a robust hydrogen economy.
Specifically for trucking, the Hydrogen for Trucks Act would support the demonstration of heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen fueling stations while collecting critical data to inform future investments in hydrogen trucking infrastructure.
The legislation would lower cost barriers and reduce risk for fleet operators interested in adopting hydrogen fuel cell vehicles by providing data and benchmarks, thereby incentivizing private investment and accelerating demonstration and deployment, the Senators said. In addition, the parallel adoption of vehicles and fueling stations will ensure their immediate utilization in the hydrogen economy.
Navistar has issued two recalls affecting more than 32,000 International vehicles due to issues with the engine control module (ECM) and body control module (BCM), according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documents.
