Heinrich Applauds Biden Administration for Signing Global Memorandum on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Co-Chair of the Electrification Caucus, is welcoming an announcement by the Biden administration that the United States will join the Global Memorandum of Understanding (Global MOU) on Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles (MHDV).

In a continued effort to decarbonize the road transport sector and transition the new commercial vehicle transportation sector to zero-emission, Senator Heinrich led a bicameral group of Democrats in a letter to President Joe Biden earlier this month urging him to add the U.S. as a signatory to the Global MOU.

The U.S. Department of Energy made the announcement today at the 2022 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP27).

“Decarbonizing commercial transport vehicles is critical to meeting our overall carbon emissions targets. Congress made huge investments to supercharge America’s manufacturing of electric and zero-emission vehicles in both the Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. By committing to this goal alongside many other nations, the United States is affirming that we are serious about meeting our responsibility on climate and protecting our children’s future,” said Heinrich.

Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles represent just 10% of vehicles on the road in the United States but contribute to 28% of total on-road greenhouse gas emissions. Studies show that a complete transition to 100% zero-emission commercial vehicles by 2050 could reduce domestic MHDV greenhouse gas emissions by up to 73%, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) emissions by up to 93%, and Particulate Matter (PM2.5) emissions by up to 73% below 2020 levels. Analysis further shows that these avoided greenhouse gas emissions could add up to 718 million metric tons by 2040 in the U.S., and 1,030 million metric tons by 2050.

The Global MOU, co-led by CALSTART's Global Drive to Zero program and the Government of the Netherlands, is a non-binding instrument that aligns signatories around a joint ambition for Zero-Emission Medium- and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. The MOU sets a target for 30% of new MHDVs to be zero-emission by 2030 and 100% by 2040 -- matching the global targets set on Transport Day at COP26.

The Inflation Reduction Act championed by Congressional Democrats includes new commercial clean vehicle tax credits, with up to $7,500 for light- and medium-duty vehicles and up to $40,000 for heavy-duty vehicles.

The letter led by Senator Heinrich was also signed by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and U.S. Representatives Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), and Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.).