Support Efforts to Reduce Diesel Emissions

from "American Lung Association of California Sets Public Policy Priorities", Public Policy Update, Breathe Easy news magazine, Spring/Summer 2001

The American Lung Association is working to reduce diesel emissions in California and promote the use of alternative fuels such as natural gas, fuel cells and electricity. Diesel exhaust is a serious public health risk that can cause cancer and exacerbate lung diseases such as asthma and emphysema. (See related story in Air Quality News.)

The American Lung Association of California will continue to focus its efforts on reducing diesel emissions and promoting alternatives to diesel through incentives and regulatory action. Lung associations across California are working with their local transit agencies and school districts to encourage them to replace old diesel buses with new ones powered by lower-polluting alternative fuels.

In September, the American Lung Association of California supported the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) move to establish aggressive goals for reducing particulate emissions from new and existing diesel engines over the next 10 years.

Then in December, the American Lung Association of California joined with other environmental and children’s groups in urging CARB to invest $50 million to purchase the cleanest school buses available today. The Governor had allocated the money for cleaning up school buses around the state and CARB was considering how much funding to devote to so-called "green diesel," a new diesel technology promoted by the oil industry and truck manufacturers.

"There is no such thing as green diesel," says Bonnie Holmes-Gen, assistant vice president, Government Relations, for the American Lung Association of California. "The only way to significantly reduce air pollution is to switch to cleaner alternative technologies such as natural gas, electricity and fuel cells."