Report to Congress - U S Environmental Protection Agency - Bog

Reducing emissions from diesel engines is one of the most important public health challenges facing the country. Despite EPA's stringent diesel engine and fuel standards taking effect over the next decade, the 20 million engines already in use will continue to emit large amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOX) and particulate matter (PM)-both of which will contribute to serious public health problems for years to come. Fortunately, a variety of cost-effective technologies can dramatically reduce harmful emissions, save fuel, and help our nation meet its clean air and sustainability goals. To meet these challenges, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC). NCDC consists of both regulatory programs to address new engines and innovative nonregulatory programs to address the millions of diesel engines already in use. EPA standards apply to new diesel engines, and because these engines can last a long time, solutions are needed to reduce harmful emissions from the existing fleet. These innovative approaches promote a variety of emission reduction strategies such as retrofitting, repairing, replacing, and repowering engines; reducing idling; and switching to cleaner fuels. Through a dynamic network of Regional Collaboratives, whose development EPA initiated, environmental groups, industry, and government were inspired and motivated-despite their sometimes conflicting perspectives-to unite behind a common goal. NCDC mobilized diverse and unusual partners with historic differences to work together, creating broad support based on the urgency of the public health problem and bringing new technologies into use years earlier than would otherwise have occurred.