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Natural Awakenings National

End of the Road: Driving Down Dirty Diesel

Step-by-step, attorney Janea Scott and the Environmental Defense Fund have won strict new pollution limits on diesel exhaust. In recent years, she was often the lone environmentalist, far outnumbered by industry representatives, on the Environmental Protection Agency’s diesel advisory board. Collectively, the new standards will annually prevent thousands of deaths and hospitalizations, saving billion of dollars in public health expenditures that far outweigh the cost of cleaning up the problem.

“From trucks to bulldozers, trains and commercial ships, our nation is now making the transition to a bold new era of cleaner diesel engines,” advises Scott. Buses and farm equipment are included in the victories. Her organization even established limits on stationary diesel engines, such as backup generators.

Now, new diesel engines will be cleaner. And older models will be retrofitted, starting in California, Massachusetts, New York City and Texas. All told, America is on the road to driving down its diesel pollution by nearly 90 percent by 2030.

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