Sponsors (4)
The bill prioritizes safety and operational continuity for vehicles in extreme cold—protecting responders and remote communities—but does so by carving narrow emissions exceptions that raise the risk of increased local air pollution, environmental harm, regulatory uncertainty, and potential public costs.
Emergency responders, truck drivers, and other covered vehicle operators (especially in cold, northern, and rural areas) can keep vehicles running in extreme cold by using temporary cold‑weather modes or suspensions without fear of Clean Air Act penalties, reducing risk of being stranded and avoiding life‑threatening shutdowns.
Freight, essential services, and rural communities maintain mobility and continuity of services in prolonged freezing conditions because certain DEF requirements and derates can be suspended for vehicles north of 59°N or operating in extended cold.
Operators and manufacturers get clearer, narrower authorization pathways (including manufacturer-authorized suspensions and an explicit temporary cold‑weather mode) that reduce the risk of immediate noncompliance penalties, enabling operational flexibility in extreme conditions.
Residents, nearby communities, and workers in affected areas (rural and urban) face higher local air pollution and greater respiratory and other health risks when vehicles operate without emissions controls during exempted cold periods.
Allowing suspensions of DEF systems and related derates will increase emissions of NOx and particulates in exempted operations, undermining local air quality and broader climate and air‑pollution reduction goals.
Granting manufacturers discretion to suspend controls and creating narrow exceptions risks misuse, uneven application, and the creation of enforcement loopholes that could lead to broader noncompliance beyond intended emergency cold events.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
EPA must allow limited cold‑weather suspensions of DEF‑related derates/shutdowns (≤0°C) and year‑round DEF exemptions for vehicles primarily north of 59°N or where DEF is impractical.
Official title: Require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to authorize manufacturers of certain vehicles to suspend engine derate or shutdown functions in prolonged cold weather conditions, and for other purposes.
Introduced November 6, 2025 by Daniel Scott Sullivan · Last progress November 6, 2025
Allows EPA to change Clean Air Act regulations so diesel vehicle manufacturers can suspend engine derates or shutdowns triggered by emissions-control faults when ambient temperature is at or below 0°C, and creates a year‑round exemption from diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) system requirements for covered vehicles that operate primarily north of 59°N or in conditions where DEF freezes or is impractical. The changes must be implemented by the EPA within 180 days and are narrowly limited so that normal emissions enforcement resumes above 0°C and overall Clean Air Act standards remain in force except for these specific carve-outs.