Rockford Sun

GOP gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) is warning Illinois lawmakers against adopting harsh California-like emissions regulations.

He thinks that policies like this will hurt small businesses.

“California, unfortunately, is a trend-setter for many states, particularly blue states like Illinois," Bailey said in a statement. "It would be disastrous if Illinois were to adopt California’s policy of enforcing zero emissions requirements on new trucks.”

Focused on improving the state's economy, he sees that implementing the emission regulation similar to California is not a good move. Bailey has noted on his campaign website that if elected governor, "he will work to fully reopen the economy and our schools, attract new business and fuel job creation in Illinois."

“Regulations like this would devastate truck drivers who own their rigs," Bailey said. "These small business owners are an important part of our economy. In time, electric vehicles will be the norm in this country, but we are not there yet. We cannot kill our economy on the way to zero-emission vehicles. We need a common-sense approach and that is exactly what a Bailey administration will bring.”

A report supporting a move to no- and low-emission trucks and buses in Illinois was commissioned by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) in collaboration with the Union of Concerned Scientists. The move has worried Illinois truckers that California-style trucking regulations could be in store for Illinois. 

"Freight is a major part of the Chicago area economy, but air pollution caused by diesel emissions disproportionately harms black and Latino communities in the region,” José Acosta Córdova of the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization said, in reporting by The Center Square. “This report shows how the Advanced Clean Truck (ACT) rule and the NOx Omnibus rule will set Illinois on the path toward achieving zero-emission freight and mitigating the negative impacts of diesel-powered vehicles."

California has long tested emissions. The state is known for its aggressive stance on regulating vehicles for emissions which includes the toughest vehicle emissions standards in the country, according to Cal Matters.