Tractor-Trailers Avoid EPA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards

Trailers attached to 18-wheeler trucks don’t have to abide by the EPA’s standards aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the D.C. Circuit ruled Friday after accepting the industry’s argument that the federal government doesn’t have authority over them.

Trailers don’t have a motor and therefore aren’t motor vehicles subject to regulation, according to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. The trailers also aren’t vehicles in the context of a vehicle’s fuel economy, since they don’t use fuel, the court said.

The Truck Trailers Manufacturers Association’s lawsuit challenged rules set by the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway ...