Newsroom
Speeches - By Date
Administrator Johnson, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Event, Columbus, IN
10/10/2006
As you know, under President Bush’s leadership our nation’s air is cleaner that it was 30 years ago. And with the help of eager partners like Cummins, America’s air will only get cleaner and healthier. I also want to thank Congressman Michael Sodrel for joining us. The Congressman and I had an opportunity to tour this tech center earlier, and he explained to me the importance of this facility to Columbus. I think it’s a true testament of Congressman Sodrell’s leadership, that he is not only a champion for area jobs and the local economy, but is a supporter of innovative technology that will improve the health of the residents of this community. So today, we’re all here in Columbus, Indiana, to announce the single greatest achievement in clean fuel since lead was removed from gasoline more than 25 years ago. The next generation of clean fuel – ultra-low sulfur diesel, or ULSD – will flow from pumps like his one here. And it won’t be just in Columbus. Across the nation, America’s pumps are primed to deliver clean diesel and cleaner air. As Cummins can attest, over the last century, diesels have been America’s economic workhorse – relied upon by industry 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. The cornerstone of this groundbreaking transformation is the introduction of ULSD. On October 15th, diesel cars and trucks will be filling up with this breakthrough fuel that is 97-percent lower in sulfur content than what diesels run on today. This clean fuel will also make diesel engines themselves 90-percent cleaner – reducing their contributions to ground-level ozone and fine particle pollution. The introduction of ULSD is part of the Bush Administration’s stringent standards, for diesel cars and trucks, the cleanest in the world. The standards will reduce air pollution by more than 90-percent. What does that all mean? It means that when fully implemented, EPA’s clean diesel rules will result in $150 billion in health and welfare-related benefits … every year. It also means that we will prevent more than 20,000 premature deaths, and tens-of-thousands of respiratory illnesses like childhood asthma and bronchitis … again every year. I can’t think of a better story to share with the next generation, than to make the black puff of diesel exhaust something you only read about in history books. Under President Bush’s leadership, the pumps are primed to deliver clean diesel and a cleaner future for America. But ULSD isn’t just an environmental and public-health success story. Together with our partners, we are writing the chapter that proves that doing what’s good for the environment, can also be good for business and good for our energy security. Here at Cummins, and throughout our nation, industry is advancing the innovative technologies that power our economy and drive our environmental successes. This tech center is leading the clean diesel transformation by developing and testing the diesels of tomorrow, which will be even cleaner and more fuel efficient. And big engine manufacturers aren’t the only ones on board. Automakers also envision a cleaner, more efficient future for their vehicles. In the past year alone, several automakers such as Ford, DaimlerChrysler and GM have announced plans to bring new, clean diesel cars, pickup trucks and delivery vehicles to the market. This new fleet will be capable of meeting EPA’s stringent emission standards, while being 30-percent more efficient and with a similar reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide they emit. And industry is only part of the story. As technology innovations driven by EPA’s clean diesel program spreads to cars, our nation’s energy security will be strengthened since diesel engines tend to be more efficient than gas engines. This smart fuel use is part of President Bush’s strategy for helping America jump off the treadmill of dependency on foreign sources of oil. And the savings don’t just come through fewer trips to the gas station. In addition to the fuel economy and carbon emission benefits, drivers of this new fleet of clean diesels can also look forward to lower maintenance bills, longer engine life, and typically lower fuel costs. While our pumps are now primed to deliver clean diesel and cleaner air, it wouldn’t have happened without our partners. From the engine manufacturers and refiners, to the fuel providers and state leaders – they all should be credited for successfully bringing this clean fuel to the market. These are indeed exciting times for Indiana, and all of America. The President has set big goals for our nation’s energy security, economic well-being, and environmental health. By bringing ULSD to the pumps nationwide, the Bush Administration is primed to deliver cleaner diesel and cleaner air to all Americans. Again, I want to thank all our partners for joining us today to announce the greatest single clean fuel achievement since the removal of lead from gasoline. And I want to wish Cummins all the success in helping transform America’s economic workhorse into America’s environmental workhorse. Thank you. |
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.
