WPGA Sues CARB Over Forklift Rulemaking

Last week, the Western Propane Gas Association (WPGA) filed a lawsuit in state court against the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in regards to the agency’s Zero-Emission Forklift Rulemaking, which was approved in June. This new CARB regulation will prohibit the production and sale of large, spark-ignited (LSI) forklifts for the California market, and require the early retirement of LSI forklifts currently in operation. Both the ban on new sales and the early retirement mandate will affect propane-powered forklifts and the businesses who rely on them. WPGA’s lawsuit asserts that CARB’s actions violate provisions of state law and the California Constitution. 

Colin Sueyres, President and CEO of the Western Propane Gas Association, has been directly engaged and working to combat this regulation since it was first proposed. 

“California’s ill-planned effort to kill the propane forklift will have far reaching consequences across our industry, and not just in our state,” said Sueyres. “Allowing California to single-handedly set the market for forklifts would imperil millions upon millions of propane gallons in every state in the union as forklift manufacturers expand battery-electric production lines. WPGA welcomes assistance from all those concerned about our transportation gallons across the country to join our effort.” 

As of the 2022 industry sales report, California was the largest propane market in the country, with 539 million gallons of fuel sold. 

For more information, contact NPGA’s Director of State Affairs, Jacob Peterson.