Across the country, there is great concern about pollution from diesel engines. Many people have seen first hand the pollution and black soot that can come from the exhaust pipes of trucks, buses, and construction equipment.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a plan to significantly reduce pollution from new diesel engines. It is a two-step approach that will first set new emission standards for diesel engines that will take effect in 2004. In the second step, EPA will establish even more stringent emission standards for these engines beginning in 2007 in combination with diesel fuel with a reduced level of sulfur.
However, because these rules will not begin to take effect right away, EPA has developed the Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program to help make a difference in the immediate future. The program will address pollution from diesel construction equipment and heavy-duty vehicles that are currently on the road today. This Web site is designed to help fleet operators, air quality planners in state/local government and retrofit manufacturers understand this program and obtain the information they need to create effective retrofit projects.
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