No delay for US rules for clean diesel engines - EPA
Date: 02-Aug-02
Country: USA
The decision is a defeat for Caterpillar Inc. and other diesel engine makers, as well as their allies in Congress, who had lobbied the Bush administration to delay the anti-pollution rules.
Manufacturers that can't meet the new clean air guidelines because of technological difficulties can choose to pay a penalty on a per-engine basis, and still stay in business.
"In order to ensure that manufacturers strive for the lowest possible emissions level, the penalty increases with the amount of emissions (exceeding) the standard," EPA said.
The penalties range from a few hundred dollars for an engine close to meeting the standard to more than $12,000 for an engine producing the most pollution allowed by the government.
The penalties also apply to engines covered under a 1998 settlement reached by the Justice Department and EPA with six major manufacturers of diesel engines.
The settlement resolved claims that the manufacturers installed illegal computer software on heavy-duty diesel engines that turned off the emission control system during highway driving.
The settlement requires compliance with the EPA's 2004 nitrogen oxide emission limits by October 2002. Manufacturers unable to meet those emission limits must pay penalties based on their emissions level above the 2004 standard.
A group of Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois, had urged the Bush administration to delay the lower-emission requirements. Environmental groups strong fought such a delay.
