S 990119th CongressIn Committee

Freedom to Haul Act of 2025

Introduced: Mar 12, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

Freedom to Haul Act of 2025 (S. 990) would block the EPA from implementing or enforcing the final rule known as Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles—Phase 3. At the same time, it rewrites the Clean Air Act’s motor vehicle emission standard provision to ensure that tailpipe regulations cannot mandate specific technologies or restrict the availability of new motor vehicles based on engine type. The bill also requires the Environmental Protection Agency to revise regulations within two years to conform to these new constraints. In short, the bill aims to prevent more stringent or technology-miven (engine-type based) emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles and to limit regulatory actions that would limit vehicle availability or dictate particular technologies.

Key Points

1Prohibits implementing or enforcing EPA’s Phase 3 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles (final rule published April 22, 2024).
2Amends Clean Air Act section 202(a)(2) to prohibit:
3- (A) Any regulation that currently exists or is revised after enactment from mandating the use of any specific technology.
4- (B) Any regulation that would limit the availability of new motor vehicles based on the type of engine in those vehicles.
5- This applies to regulations prescribed or proposed after January 1, 2021, and after the date of enactment.
6Requires EPA to issue necessary revisions to conform to the new standard within two years of enactment.
7Short title: Freedom to Haul Act of 2025. Introduced in the Senate March 12, 2025 and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected:- Heavy-duty vehicle manufacturers and trucking fleets, including commercial haulers and operators, who would face changes to emissions standards and potential technology mandates.Secondary group/area affected:- EPA and other federal regulators, as the bill directs the agency to revise regulations to fit the new limits.- States and local governments that rely on federal tailpipe standards to shape their own air quality programs.Additional impacts:- Potential shifts in climate and air-quality policy due to less stringent heavy-duty vehicle emissions standards.- Possible effect on the pace of technology adoption (e.g., electrification or alternative powertrains) if regulations cannot mandate specific technologies.- Possible regulatory uncertainty or challenges as EPA works to revise existing rules to comply with the statute’s constraints.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Nov 18, 2025