Environmental Defense Applauds EPA For Historic Clean Air Proposal

(15 April 2003 ? Washington, DC)  Environmental Defense today praised an historical proposal from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to curb harmful diesel exhaust from “nonroad” sources such as construction, industrial, mining, and agricultural equipment.  The proposal would also dramatically lower the sulfur content of nonroad diesel fuel, enabling the use of state-of-the-art air pollution control technologies. 

“We applaud EPA and Administrator Whitman for issuing a rigorous proposal that, if carried forward, will deliver meaningful public health benefits to communities across America,” said Environmental Defense senior attorney Vickie Patton.  “EPA is advancing one of the single most important measures that can be taken by the federal government to achieve cleaner, healthier air.”  

“Diesel exhaust contains a host of harmful contaminants that together pose a cancer risk greater than that of any other air pollutant, and that contribute to unhealthy levels of smog and fine particles affecting millions of Americans,” said Dr. John Balbus, Environmental Defense public health program director and physician.  “Administrator Whitman deserves enormous credit for her leadership in crafting a proposal that would dramatically lower the most harmful airborne contaminant in our environment.” 

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Health Effects Institute, World Health Organization, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Toxicology Program, and the U.S. EPA have determined that diesel exhaust is a probable or likely human carcinogen.

The proposal consists of two core elements that will:  (1) require diesel equipment to meet protective standards for particulates and smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOX) by using state-of-the-art control measures and (2) slash the sulfur content of nonroad diesel fuel in two phases from its current average levels of about 3400 parts per million (ppm) to 500ppm in 2007 and 15ppm in 2010.   Once fully implemented, this program is estimated to annually lower fine sooty particles by about 150,000 tons, smog-forming NOX by more than 1 million tons, and harmful sulfur dioxide by nearly 400,000 tons.  

Today the American Lung Association and Environmental Defense also released a national report examining the host of public health and environmental benefits that can result from a rigorous federal clean air program for diesel equipment.