EPA Urged to Finalize Rule to Clean Up Toxic Pollution from Diesel Ships and Trains By End of Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:
Janea Scott c-310-728-9469, jscott@environmentaldefense.org
Sean Crowley w-202-572-3331, scrowley@environmentaldefense.org

(Seattle , WA – May 8, 2007) - A leading environmental group urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize overdue new standards to reduce toxic pollution from diesel trains and ships by the end of the year during the first public hearing on them in Seattle today. The emission standards would apply to the nation’s fleet of diesel locomotive engines, tugs, barges, ferries and recreational marine engines. When adopted and fully phased in, EPA’s proposal will reduce particulate pollution and smog-forming nitrogen oxides from each engine by 80-95 percent.

“Diesel exhaust contains toxic chemicals that together with diesel particulate matter pose a cancer risk greater than that of any other air pollutant,” testified Environmental Defense staff attorney Janea Scott. “State air regulators estimate that cleaning up these engines will prevent more than 4,000 premature deaths a year, so EPA needs to finalize strong clean air standards to put America on the right track in achieving healthier air. And EPA needs to finalize these standards by end of this year.”

During the hearing, Environmental Defense urged EPA to complete this rulemaking before the end of the year, tighten up the requirements for smog-forming nitrogen oxides and, since diesel engines last for decades, to clean up particulate and smog-forming pollution from both locomotive and marine existing engines when they are rebuilt.

In 2006, locomotives released as much smog-forming pollution (nitrogen oxides) as 120 coal-fired power plants and as much particulate pollution as 70 coal-fired plants each year. Commercial shipping is responsible for about 1 million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 40,000 tons of particulate pollution. In Seattle alone, locomotives emit nearly 3,500 tons of smog-forming NOx each year and ships emit over 14,000 tons annually, comparable to the smog-forming NOx from about 3.7 million and 15.8 million of today’s new cars, respectively. Ships and locomotives covered by the proposed rule currently account for about 17% of Seattle’s diesel particulate pollution from the transportation sector, according to EPA. Left unchecked, this percentage would rise to a staggering 43% in 2020 and 60% in 2030.

The EPA also is holding a public hearing on the proposed new standards in Chicago on Thursday (May 10). In Chicago, locomotives emit about 49,000 tons of smog-forming NOx each year and ships emit about 8,500 tons annually, comparable to the NOx pollution from about 53.7 million and 9.2 million of today’s new cars, respectively. To put this in perspective there are only about 5.5 million cars in the entire state of Illinois. EPA estimates the locomotive and marine engines covered by the proposed rule currently account for almost 25% of diesel particulate pollution in Chicago’s transportation sector. Without protective emission standards, ships and locomotives will emit about 70% of the diesel particulate pollution from mobile sources in Chicago by 2030. Environmental Defense has documented the extensive air pollution from both ships and locomotives. Learn how commercial marine shipping is polluting our air here [pdf] and learn more about locomotive pollution here.