Addressing Freight Pollution at the Source

The report identifies that over 66 million people in the U.S. live near freight facilities and corridors, with those near clusters of 11 or more facilities facing a 32% higher cancer risk from air toxics than the national average. It advocates for Indirect Source Rules (ISRs), which require facilities to mitigate the pollution attracted by their operations, as a tool to address these disparities. The author details best practices for ISR design and proposes various compliance options, including the deployment of zero-emission vehicles, charging infrastructure, and innovative solutions like using wastewater treatment plant methane for port power.

• Approximately 66.4 million people in the contiguous United States live near large freight facilities and corridors, defined as within 500 meters of corridors and single warehouses or within 1,000 meters of ports, railyards, or clusters.
• Air pollution and health risks increase as the concentration of freight facilities grows; populations near 11 or more facilities have diesel particulate matter (DPM) concentrations over 85% higher than the national average and are 32% more likely to develop cancer from air toxics exposure.
• Freight-adjacent populations are disproportionately people of color, with nearly 80% of people living near more than 10 freight facilities being people of color, compared to 40% of the general US population.
• New Jersey and New York have the highest shares of populations living near freight facilities (31.25% and 28.47% respectively), while California has the largest total number of freight-adjacent residents.
• Indirect Source Rules (ISRs) require facilities to address pollution attracted by their operations, such as trucks and ships, rather than just direct point-source emissions.
• The Warehouse Actions and Investments to Reduce Emissions (WAIRE) Program in Southern California demonstrated the effectiveness of ISRs, with zero-emission yard truck usage increasing by over 900% and zero-emission Class 8 truck visits increasing nearly six-fold between 2021 and 2024.
• Effective ISR design should include robust baseline data, flexible compliance options tied to local benefits, permitting and zoning that account for cumulative impacts, and adaptive implementation based on monitoring.
• Proposed compliance options for ISRs include the acquisition of zero-emission vehicles and cargo handling equipment, installation of charging infrastructure, on-site renewable energy generation, and the use of mitigation fees.
• Innovative compliance pathways could include using machine learning software to reduce drayage truck idling by approximately 90% and utilizing waste methane from wastewater treatment plants to generate zero-emission electricity for ports.
• Battery-electric trucks are noted for having the lowest operating costs among available fuel types, despite higher upfront price premiums.

APA

Wilson, S. (2026). Addressing Freight Pollution at the Source. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/addressing-freight-pollution-at-source-report_1.pdf

Chicago

Wilson, Sam. Addressing Freight Pollution at the Source. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2026. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/addressing-freight-pollution-at-source-report_1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Wilson |first1=Sam |title=Addressing Freight Pollution at the Source |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=May 2026 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/addressing-freight-pollution-at-source-report_1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wilson2026addressing, author = {Wilson, Sam}, title = {{Addressing Freight Pollution at the Source}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2026}, month = may, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/addressing-freight-pollution-at-source-report_1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }