Industry and Environmental Groups Call for Additional Federal Funding for Diesel Truck Retrofits
A coalition of environmental and trucking industry groups have sent a letter requesting that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., include $1 billion for diesel emissions-reduction grants in a senate jobs bill that is being developed. The money being requested builds on a provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that provided $300 million for diesel emissions-reduction grants. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) received more than 600 applications for those grants totaling nearly $2 billion in requests for direct funding and more than $2 billion in matching funds. The money is used to retrofit diesel-powered trucks and off-road equipment with emissions controls.
According to the letter, the diesel reductions brought about by additional grants would not only improve public health but would address global warming by reducing emissions of black carbon soot. It also is expected that the additional money would create or save jobs and generate about $3 billion in economic output for the auto supply and truck manufacturing industries. The letter, sent on Jan. 13, was signed by the American Trucking Association, Diesel Technology Forum, Cummins, American Lung Association, Clean Air Task Force, Environmental Defense and the Natural Resource Defense Council.