EPA Budget Drops $20 Million in Diesel Grants

The Obama Administration is asking Congress to approve a nearly $10 billion Environmental Protection Agency budget that would shift $20 million in California truck diesel emissions retrofit grant funding to a nationwide diesel emissions reduction program that also includes funding for rail and marine diesel emissions reduction projects.

EPA’s proposed 2011 budget released this week seeks $60 million for the national Diesel Emission Reduction Act program, but does not continue the California diesel grants because the national program “is a more effective mechanism for addressing diesel emissions from legacy engines,” said EPA spokeswoman Enesta Jones.

A supporting budget document says that the California diesel grants are not needed because emissions reductions will occur “as older engines wear out and are replaced by newer engines subject to stringent regulations.”

By Eric Miller
Staff Reporter

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