Sponsored by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) of 2019 would reauthorize the program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through 2024 to assist firms with rebuilding or retrofitting diesel engines. The objective is for those updated engines to be able to comply with pollution standards.
The Environment and Public Works panel advanced the measure to the floor of the Senate by voice vote. Carper, the panel’s ranking Democrat, had initially authored the bill more than a decade ago with former Ohio Sen. George Voinovich (R).
“With today’s vote, we’re one step closer to making sure this bipartisan tradition, imagined and incepted by my dear friend Sen. Voinovich, will continue to boost economic growth and encourage environmental progress,” Carper added. Voinovich died in 2016.
Co-sponsors of the bill include committee Chairman John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), as well as Republican Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, along with Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York.
Senate floor managers have yet to schedule a floor vote for the bill. In March, a bipartisan group of House lawmakers unveiled their version.
“This is a critical piece of legislation that helps address the climate crisis and makes our diesel cars and trucks more fuel efficient,” said Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, sponsoring the House version.
EPA is tasked with distributing DERA grants. It announced that it anticipates awarding about $40 million in competitive grants for its clean diesel funding assistance program. The agency cautions that older diesel engines emit higher amounts of pollution.