Good News: Less Pollution From Ships, Trains

EPA unveils strong rules to dramatically cut diesel pollution from marine and locomotives engines

Posted: 16-Jan-2008; Updated: 19-Mar-2008

Good News: Less Pollution From Ships, Trains

Commerical ships and boats emit more than a million tons of smog- and soot-forming pollutants every year.

Two big sources of dangerous air pollution in the U.S. are on the right track to being cleaned up. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just finalized emission standards for diesel trains and ships that are even stronger than those originally proposed.

The higher standards will dramatically reduce harmful pollution from the nation’s fleet of:

diesel locomotive engines, and
commercial marine engines, like tugs, barges, ferries and recreational marine engines.

Stringent standards will mean healthier air for millions of Americans

The new standards for these "smokestacks on rails" and "floating smokestacks" are good news for public health. The black smoke we often see billowing from diesel-powered boats and trains is a mix of toxic chemicals and particulate pollution (sooty particles) that causes early death, cancer, heart disease and asthma attacks.

“These clean air standards will mean millions of Americans will have healthier and longer lives,” said Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp. “From trains to ferries, the nation is transitioning to a bold new era of cleaner diesel engines. As today's diesel fleet turns over, diesel engines will no longer churn out suffocating black plumes of smoke.”

What the new standards do

When fully implemented, the new standards will cut particulate pollution from each engine by 90 percent and smog-forming oxides of nitrogen from each engine, by 80 percent. The benefits of this rule will outweigh the costs by 15 to 1.

The rule provides for clean air standards comparable to those that EPA has adopted for large diesel trucks and buses, and for construction, mining and agricultural equipment. Pollution reductions will be achieved through the combination of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and advanced engine systems.

The new rule is stronger than the proposed rule because it:

accelerates the implementation deadline for smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from locomotive diesel engines by two years, from 2017 to 2015,
accelerates the implementation deadline for NOx from the largest marine engines covered by the rule, from 2016 to 2014, and
requires marine engines to meet a more protective standard when they are rebuilt.

Why the new standards are critical

Most of the ships and trains in the U.S. today are powered by diesel engines. Diesel trains and ships, such as ferries and tugboats, are major sources of air pollution. Diesel exhaust contains toxic chemicals that together with diesel particulate matter pose a cancer risk greater than that of any other air pollutant.

Each year, diesel locomotives and commercial ships together emit nearly two million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides. Cleaner diesel engines will improve the health of our neighborhoods and communities near ports and railyards, and will help keep the nation on track in achieving the new health standard for smog. Ships and trains are also major sources of lethal particulate pollution. (Get more details on diesel pollution from locomotives and marine vessels).

Environmental Defense Fund has documented the extensive air pollution from both ships and locomotives. Our staff attorney Janea Scott testified at an EPA hearing on the original proposal last May and attended the EPA announcement of the final rule in Houston on March 14, 2008.