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About the Northeast Diesel
Collaborative
Emissions from diesel engines are a primary source of air
pollution in the northeastern United States. They
pose a significant risk to public health, and impose
a high cost on society. Twenty-five counties in Connecticut,
New Jersey, and New York fail to meet the health-based air
quality standard for fine particles, and other urban areas
in the Northeast only narrowly meet the standard. The fine
particles in diesel exhaust can aggravate asthma, cause lung
damage, and even lead to premature death. The Northeast has
some of the highest asthma rates in the nation, including a
childhood asthma rate above 10 percent in all six New England
states and rates near 15 percent in areas of New York City.
Nationally, EPA has taken critical steps to ensure
that the diesel engines manufactured in the future will be
significantly cleaner than those operating today; however,
diesel engines are very durable, and older models will continue
to be used and could pose health and environmental risks for
decades.
Realizing the benefits of a coordinated regional strategy
for these older, polluting engines, NESCAUM, EPA, and the eight
northeastern states established the Northeast Diesel Collaborative.
(See Steering Committee contact
information.)
Building on Success
The Collaborative builds upon a decade of success by its partners
in reducing diesel emissions through innovative, first-in-the-nation
pilot projects, laws, voluntary measures, and mandatory programs
targeting the primary sectors contributing to diesel emissions
in the Northeast:
- Municipal (including school buses, garbage trucks, and
other public works vehicles)
- Transit (including
transit buses and commuter locomotives)
- Ports/Authorities (ferries, tugboats, large ocean-going vessels, and port vehicles
and equipment)
- Construction (vehicles and equipment,
such as cranes, pavers, excavators, and front loaders)
- Freight (trucks, locomotives and locomotive switchers)
NEDC Strategies and Activities
Working at both the local and regional levels, the Northeast
Diesel Collaborative and its partners address the problem of
diesel emissions using a variety of strategies, including:
- educating the public, lawmakers, and public and private
fleet operators about the importance of and strategies for
reducing diesel emissions
- linking and expanding the scope of existing programs
- creating new partnerships, programs, regulations, and agreements
to reduce emissions
- demonstrating new technologies and expanding the use of
proven technologies
- improving data on emission and fleet inventories as well
as exposure and health effects
Specific activities include:
- retrofitting, retiring, and replacing polluting engines
- electrifying truck stops to enable truckers to shut down
their engines
- creating and enforcing measures to reduce engine idling
- requiring clean diesel in contracts
- promoting cleaner fuels
- offering workshops and producing toolkits for key sectors
and stakeholders
- measuring and assessing program effectiveness
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