New 'Freedom to Haul Act' Blocks EPA Truck Emission Rules and Bans Future Tech Mandates

The newly proposed Freedom to Haul Act of 2025 is short, but it packs a serious punch by immediately pulling the plug on key environmental regulations and tying the hands of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) going forward.

The Immediate Stop Sign for Truck Emissions

First, let’s talk about the big trucks. Section 2 of this Act immediately prohibits the EPA Administrator from implementing or enforcing the final rule known as the “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Heavy-Duty Vehicles—Phase 3” (89 Fed. Reg. 29440). This is a big deal because those Phase 3 rules were designed to cut pollution from tractor-trailers, delivery vans, and other commercial vehicles—the ones that log serious miles and contribute significantly to air pollution in communities along major transit routes. For people living near highways, warehouses, or shipping hubs, these rules were supposed to mean cleaner air. By immediately blocking enforcement, the Act essentially pauses those expected environmental improvements, keeping current emission levels in place for the nation’s heaviest polluters.

Banning the Tech Mandate

Section 3 tackles future regulations and changes how the EPA can write rules for all car tailpipe emissions under the Clean Air Act. This is where things get interesting for manufacturers and consumers alike. The Act imposes two major restrictions on the EPA for any new or revised tailpipe rules proposed after January 1, 2021.

Restriction 1: No Technology Mandates. The EPA is absolutely prohibited from requiring car manufacturers to use any single, specific technology to meet emission standards. Think of it this way: the EPA can still say, “Your car needs to hit this pollution target,” but they can’t say, “You must use a catalytic converter or a specific type of battery to get there.” For manufacturers, this offers flexibility and relief from being forced into specific, potentially expensive, solutions. For the environment, this raises questions about whether the fastest or most effective pollution-cutting technologies will be adopted if the EPA can’t push the industry toward them.

Restriction 2: No Limiting Vehicle Availability. The EPA also cannot issue regulations that would limit the number of different types of new motor vehicles available for sale based on the engine type they use. This provision is designed to protect consumer choice. If an EPA rule indirectly forces manufacturers to phase out gasoline or diesel engines in favor of electric motors to meet fleet-wide emissions goals, this Act says, “Not so fast.” For the average car buyer, this means that even if electric vehicles become the dominant technology, manufacturers would likely still be required to produce and sell a certain variety of traditional engine vehicles. The potential downside is that this could indefinitely prolong the sale of higher-emitting vehicle types, slowing the overall transition to cleaner fleets.

The Clock is Ticking for the EPA

The EPA isn't just stopped from enforcing the truck rules; they also have homework. Section 3 mandates that the EPA Administrator must update all existing tailpipe emission regulations within two years to ensure they comply with these new restrictions against technology mandates and limiting vehicle availability. This means the EPA will have to go back and potentially rework existing rules, which could lead to significant regulatory uncertainty and delays in environmental progress.

In short, this Act is a major legislative intervention that slams the brakes on specific, recently finalized heavy-duty truck pollution rules and fundamentally restructures the EPA’s ability to use technology-forcing regulations to clean up our air in the future. It’s a win for manufacturers seeking regulatory flexibility and consumers who want engine choice, but it comes at the expense of stricter emission controls aimed at improving air quality.