Diesel Tech Forum Applauds Diesel Emissions Reduction Act

The battle over emissions regulations in the Senate continues, but this time, the Diesel technology applauds the efforts of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). The recent passage of the DERA by the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) is being hailed as a major step in continuing “a vital clean air program that has benefited communities in every single state in the nation”, according to Allen Schaeffer, the executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum (DTF).

DERA (S. 3973) is a five-year reauthorization of the highly-successful program created in 2005 to establish voluntary national and state-level grant and loan programs to reduce diesel emissions by upgrading and modernizing older diesel engines and equipment. The bipartisan legislation was introduced on Nov. 18 by U.S. Senators George Voinovich (R-OH) and Tom Carper (D-DE) and cosponsored by several of their colleagues including EPW Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Ranking Member James Inhofe (R-OK).

“Chairwoman Boxer and Ranking Member Inhofe are to be commended for their bipartisan work on DERA to help modernize older diesel engines and improve America’s air quality,” Schaeffer said. “DERA has helped clean up tens of thousands of diesel engines. It’s been incredibly cost-effective — EPA estimates that every federal dollar invested in DERA translates into at least $13 dollars in health benefits. This cost effectiveness is actually higher thanks to state and local matches that stretch the federal DERA dollars. DERA funds also support new and existing jobs in clean diesel manufacturing, as well as local jobs in installing and maintaining the new diesel technologies.”

While it’s been difficult lately to find environmental issues that have near-universal bipartisan support among Democrats and Republicans, DERA has proven to be one program to do so, according to Schaeffer. In addition, a unique and diverse coalition of more than 500 environmental, health, industry, labor and government organizations are actively working for DERA’s reauthorization.