Diesel Industry Comments on New Major Clean Air Initiative Unveiled on Capitol Hill

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 16, 2005) -- Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, issued the following statement surrounding today's introduction of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 by a bipartisan coalition led by U.S. Senator George Voinovich (R-OH). The bill proposes establishing a national grant and loan program that will distribute $200 million annually to states and other organizations for programs aimed at improving air quality by funding voluntary incentive programs to upgrade and modernize diesel engines and equipment.

"The Diesel Technology Forum would like to recognize and thank Senator Voinovich for his leadership in developing this landmark legislation. We are especially encouraged by the bipartisan representation and broad coalition of industry and environmental groups that have come together in support of this important clean air initiative.

"The diesel industry is committed to being part of the clean air solution. In both the on-highway and off-road sectors, industry is well on its way to meeting the toughest emissions standards ever that will result in the virtual elimination of key emissions from new diesel engines. This clean diesel system of the future is made possible in part by emissions control devices such as particulate filters, oxidation catalysts and other advanced technologies. Many of these same technologies can also be applied to existing vehicles and equipment, helping reduce key emissions by 25% to 85% and resulting in significant air quality and performance benefits. This legislation will play an important role in helping deploy more of these clean diesel retrofit technologies to thousands of small businesses and equipment owners who might otherwise not be able to afford to upgrade their equipment.

"States and localities interested in learning more about how they can make use of this funding to implement a retrofit program in their community can log onto the Diesel Technology Forum's retrofit tool kit at www.dieselforum.org/retrofit. This kit serves as a comprehensive guide to designing a retrofit program - including an overview of available technologies certified by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Air Resources Board, information about identifying equipment candidates, successful case studies from around the nation and links to additional resources.

"Diesel technology plays a vital role in key sectors of our economy, powering two-thirds of all construction and farm equipment and over 90% of all highway trucks. Thanks to this legislation, this technology will continue to serve these sectors while helping assure this country's continued clean air progress."