Senate Passes Bill to Clean Up Diesel Pollution

Posted: 22-Jun-2005; Updated: 02-Aug-2007

	A  boat in New York Harbor billowing dirty diesel smoke. Smaller craft like these are major contributors to air polllution in ports.

Every day at the booming China Shipping terminal at the Port of Los Angeles, thousands of trucks belch thick, black smoke. Multitudes of huge oceangoing vessels dock to load and unload goods, while burning the dirtiest of diesel fuel to supply electricity, heating and cooling for workers. This diesel exhaust is one of the most dangerous forms of air pollution.
 
Alice, a California woman who responded to our clean air survey in the fall of 2004, has watched the shipping traffic grow and the air fill with smog and soot. "No one in my family had to use asthma medication until the Port of Los Angeles expanded the China Shipping Terminal in front of our house," she wrote. "Now the whole family is seriously ill from the air pollution. We can't even go outside for more than a few minutes without having an asthma attack." 

Although new diesel engines have to be cleaner starting in 2007, existing diesel vehicles will last for decades. So, for example, a school bus bought in 1995 can go on spewing harmful pollution until 2025.

New Bill Tackles Older, Dirty Engines

Relief may be in sight for Alice and others who suffer the ill effects of dirty diesel. In a welcome move that will help clean up all those school buses, tractors and trucks that will be running for years to come, the U.S. Senate just passed a new bill as an amendment to the Energy Bill. Introduced last week by Senator George V. Voinovich (R-Ohio), the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 will create a national program addressing all types of diesel-powered vehicles, including trucks, ships, locomotives, school buses and tractors.

"This ground-breaking bill takes major strides toward cleaning up existing diesel pollution, which exposes millions of Americans to harmful exhaust every day, said   Environmental Defense air expert Mark MacLeod, Director of Special Projects. "The Senate's overwhelming approval of this bill demonstrates the power of partnership. This bill not only delivers significant pollution reductions, but it is also good for the economy."

How the Clean-Up Would Work

The legislation makes available $1 billion over five years in grants and loans for states and organizations to clean up existing diesel fleets. Among other options, fleet owners could "retro-fit" old engines with technology to filter out dangerous emissions or replace older, dirtier engines with new ones.  Public, public-private and private fleets will all be eligible for funds.

"This legislation provides real incentives for states and communities across the country to implement solutions that we know work," said Janea Scott, Environmental Defense attorney who has long worked to bring cleaner diesel to locales from coast to coast. "This national effort will help coordinate existing programs, foster further innovation and protect the health of working Americans."

Bringing Together New Allies Gets Results

Environmental Defense reached out to Sen. Voinovich, helping to make him aware of the health benefits. Senator Voinovich then brought together a remarkable array of Republicans, Democrats, environmental groups, policy makers and companies with our team of air quality experts to unite behind the bill.  Besides Sen. Voinovich, other Senators backing the bill are co-sponsors Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Tom Carper (D-DE) Hilary Clinton (D-NY) and Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX).  Other environmental groups include Ohio Environmental Council, the Clean Air Task Force and the Union of Concerned Scientists.  

Industry giants Caterpillar, Cummins and Corning are squarely behind the bill. Caterpillar, one of the biggest manufacturers and suppliers of medium and heavy-duty truck and bus engines, has been a strong supporter of EPA's Clean School Bus USA program and is also a leading supplier of clean diesel school bus engines.

"The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 is a good example of common-sense legislation that is winning support from industry and non-governmental organizations who are working together on cost-effective solutions for reducing emissions in older diesel engines," said Fred Krupp, president of Environmental Defense.

What's at Stake: the Dangers of Diesel

Those black diesel fumes that billow out of tailpipes are primarily made of tiny particles that lodge deep in our lungs and deliver toxic pollutants to our bloodstream. Diesel-powered vehicles dish out a host of pollutants that contribute to serious health problems such as asthma attacks, cancer, strokes, heart attacks and premature death. Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. (More on dangerous diesel pollution.)

Fortunately our children's children will get relief from harmful diesel pollution: the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that by 2030, once the tightened rules for new diesel engines are fully in place, reduced emissions will prevent 20,000 premature deaths, 15,900 hospital admissions and over half a million asthma attacks each year!

But what about the children now riding school buses, farmers plowing fields, construction workers and anyone else exposed to dangerous diesel pollution on a daily basis, such as those living near ports or industrial facilities? For a broad range of working Americans and schoolchildren, the new bill offers solid hope of relief from dirty diesel.

Cost-Effective Solutions for Cleaning Up Diesel Engines
 
Diesel vehicles are the country's workhorses - we cannot live without them.  Cranes build our homes, school buses ferry our kids to school, tractors farm our crops, bulldozers pave our roads. But there is no need or economic reason to live with dirty diesel engines. In a just-released analysis Cleaner Air for America [PDF], Environmental Defense shows that the costs of investments in a national diesel control program yield healthy returns -- that is, the value of the health benefits far exceed the costs. An investment in diesel engine retrofits ranging from $600 million to $1.6 billion produces a stream of health benefits over several years valued between $10 billion and $19 billion.

Cost-effective technologies to cut pollution from diesel engines already exist. A number of options available for modernizing and upgrading existing diesel engines and equipment result in significant air quality and health benefits. Diesel particulate filters can slash particulate pollution (tiny sooty particles) by 80% to 95% per engine, and diesel oxidation catalysts cuts sooty particles by 20% to 35% per engine. The health benefits of installing a retrofit can outweigh the costs by at least 12 to 1. Or for every dollar spent on retrofits, one can expect $12 of health benefits. Moreover, using cleaner, ultra low-sulfur fuel reduces wear and tear on heavy equipment, saving about $600 over the life of the engine in heavy-duty trucks and buses.

Diesel Clean-up Programs Are Working Today

Increasingly, states and cities across the country have designed local programs that take advantage of the latest diesel emission control technologies. The proposed Diesel Reduction Emissions Act builds on the successes of local programs that model how to cut diesel pollution through diesel retrofit programs.

Environmental Defense pioneered many of these model programs in response to the clear and present dangers of diesel exhaust. Our team of experts hammered out a groundbreaking pact unveiled in December 2004 to cut air pollution from diesel equipment used at Los Angeles's main airport (LAX), both for new construction and for daily operations on the tarmac, helping nearby residents of neighborhoods to breathe cleaner air. Thanks in part to efforts of Environmental Defense; New York City passed a law in 2004 that could cut diesel emissions from heavy construction machinery used in city projects by 90%.

The Right Amount of Funding

Our new report Cleaner Air for America [PDF] found that investment in a national retrofit program is a clear win for health and for economic reasons. Our analysis provides a benchmark for the level of funding necessary to make a real impact in reducing dangerous emissions from diesel fleets in operation today:  a cost range of $83 million to $296 million a year for seven years. We recommend federal funding of $296 million annually for seven years, an investment that will have big health returns. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act is a very strong step forward at $200 million a year.

One of the goals of our Clean Air for Life campaign, launched in September 2004, is to cut pollution from all diesel engines by 80% by 2014. Adequate funding for a national diesel emissions reduction program will allow all types of diesel engines and control technologies, including locomotive and marine engines and idle reduction strategies -- and go a long way to meeting the challenge. 

"This bill relies on American ingenuity to accelerate the nation's transition to cleaner diesel engines and deliver healthier air to millions of Americans today," said MacLeod. "We applaud Senator Voinovich for his leadership in bringing diverse interests together and forging common ground on a visionary clean air initiative for America."

	A  terminal at the Port of Los Angeles can now charge two ships at plug-in electrical sources so that they no longer have to use dirty diesel power sources. PHOTO: Port of Los Angeles

As for Alice's plight, business at the China shipping terminal is expected to triple by 2020 and ship emissions will rise dramatically over the next 15 years. But hope is on the horizon.  As part of a legal settlement, Los Angeles equipped the terminal with cleaner means of powering two large container ships at the same time - eliminating about 1 ton of dangerous smog- and soot-forming pollution each day it is in use.

The proposed Diesel Emissions Reduction Act could help spur more creative solutions, like providing additional alternative power sources and retrofitting trucks, and bring healthier air to millions. 

FIND OUT MORE

	Executive Summary - Cleaner Air for America [PDF] (6/16/2005).
	News release - Environmental Defense Joins Industry in Supprt of  Bipartisan Legislation to Cut Diesel Pollution  (6/16/2005)
	Our campaign Clean Air for Life - Air Pollution burdens our health, our ecosystems and quality of life. But there are solutions.