United States Congress renews funding support for trucking operators reducing vehicle pollution
January 24, 2011
As part of efforts to reduce air pollution created by trucks, the United States Congress has renewed funding support for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act after the first five-year period ended in 2010.
The Act provides a mix of low cost loans and grants for operators to purchase new trucks or to retro-fit existing equipment with anti-pollution devices where possible to reduce the amount of pollutants created by heavy vehicles in the US.
The government is committed to providing US$100 million per year between 2011 and 2016 to fund voluntary vehicle upgrades, as well as simplifying the application process for operators to access funds.
With an estimated 11 million diesel-powered trucks, buses and plant equipment in the US, supporters of the Act estimate that upgrading these to current emission technology will reduce soot by 110,000 US tonnes and nitrogen oxides by 2.6 million US tonnes.