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Administrator Johnson, Locomotive and Marine Diesel Rule Press Event, Newark, N.J.
03/02/2007| Thank you, Alan (Steinberg), for that introduction. I appreciate you, and all of the EPA staff, for your work to make today’s announcement possible. As with so many of our clean diesel efforts, this program couldn’t have happened without the help of our vital stakeholders … and I want to thank all of you on stage and in the crowd for joining us. This rule is the product of a tremendous collaborative effort between EPA and our engine, rail, state, and advocacy partners. And it exemplifies EPA’s commitment to producing solutions that are good for our environment and good for our economy. And today, I am happy to announce that America’s clean air progress continues full steam ahead. Through our newest proposed rule, EPA and our partners are ensuring all Americans continue breathing easier by cutting air pollution from locomotive and marine diesel engines. America’s air is the cleanest it’s been in a generation and continues to improve under the Bush Administration’s innovative clean air policies. Through our Clean Diesel Locomotive and Marine rule, EPA is checking one of the last boxes on our clean diesel checklist. First we cleaned our vehicles emissions. Then we cleaned our fuel. Now, we are focused on cleaning the emissions from our trains and boats. The result? Cleaner, healthier air for all 300-million Americans. By tackling this last, greatest remaining source of diesel emissions, we’re ensuring America’s clean air progress continues full steam ahead. It’s important we are addressing this clean air challenge now, because as our nation’s economy continues to grow, the amount of goods moving through our ports will grow with it. Emissions reductions will particularly benefit the millions of people who live, work or play along our nation’s coasts, rivers and rail lines. By addressing emissions from our shipping sector, EPA is making our ports and railroads harbors of cleaner air. The proposal, which we plan to finalize by the end of the year, dramatically cuts emissions from all types of diesel locomotives and marine engines, like those you see behind me. When fully implemented, our new standards will significantly reduce their emissions of particulate matter by 90 percent and nitrogen oxides by 80 percent. Through this rule, EPA is on track to make that black puff of diesel smoke go the way of the steam engine. This cleaner air will prevent thousands of premature deaths, hospitalizations and respiratory illnesses, resulting in an annual health benefit of $12 billion per year. That comes out to be a 20-to-1 return on our investment in clean air innovation. Today’s landmark initiative will spur the development of emissions control systems for a wide range of locomotive and marine diesel engines – comparable to the innovation of catalytic converters for our cars. It’s thanks to these advances in clean diesel technology, that America’s clean air progress continues full steam ahead. As our partners in industry can tell you, over the last century, diesels have been America’s economic workhorse – relied upon for their durability and fuel efficiency. Today, we find ourselves in the midst of a great transformation, in which America’s economic workhorse is also becoming America’s environmental workhorse. America’s environmental and economic progress is anchored in President Bush’s commitment to innovation. The President and EPA believe clean diesel innovation is the next step in our march toward cleaner air and healthier lives. Today’s rule is another major achievement in EPA's decade-long campaign to revolutionize diesel engines and the fuels they use. The proposal builds on both the Clean Diesel Non-road Rule and the Clean Diesel Truck and Bus Rule, which are currently delivering environmental benefits to our residents nationwide. Fitting this last piece into the clean diesel puzzle, EPA is keeping our nation on track toward a cleaner, healthier tomorrow. Once again, I want to thank all of our partners for joining us for today’s historic announcement. By tackling the greatest remaining source of diesel emissions, we’re keeping America’s clean air progress moving full steam ahead. Thank you. And now, I’d like to introduce the partners who are standing up here with me, and invite them to give some remarks. First is Tony Ingram, the Chief Operating Officer of CSX – one of our rail partners, who was instrumental in bringing this proposal together. We also have my good friend and the subject of a glowing article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Fred Krupp, the President of Environmental Defense. And finally, Rick Larabee, the Director of Port Commerce for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey – the host of today’s event and a national leader in adopting strategies to reduce diesel emissions. |
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