TRENTON – Across the country
and New Jersey,
diesel fuel is getting cleaner. After close to a decade of advocacy by
environmental groups, the EPA is rolling out the introduction of ultra low
sulfur diesel fuel for all on-road diesel trucks and buses by this Sunday.
The new fuel contains 97% less sulfur than regular diesel
fuel, dropping from 500 parts per million to only 15 parts per million, and we
can expect that even old engines burning the new fuel will reduce soot
emissions by over 10%.
We all know that black diesel exhaust is bad for our lungs.
But the reason why diesel soot is so dangerous is because it is so small. These
microscopic particles, covered with carcinogens, are so small that they able to
slip past our bodies defense, and lodge themselves deep into our lungs.
Diesel exhaust is more local, more toxic and stays in our
neighborhoods longer than other forms of air pollution. We need to be taking
every available step to reduce diesel soot pollution because every reduction
saves lives.
This new fuel will now required to be used by New Jersey’s over
110,000 on-road diesel trucks and buses across the state. And without this new
fuel, we wouldn’t be able to use the clean-up technology passed under Ballot
Question #2 last fall for school buses, garbage trucks and transit buses. The
new fuel will allow these new air filters to do their job.
The new fuel is also critical for the new diesel engines
coming on line next year. These new engines use clean-up technology to reduce
emissions by over 90%. Unfortunately, we won’t see the full impacts of these
new engines for another 30 years.
Does this mean we'll meet EPA clean air
standards? This alone certainly won’t do it. Currently, 13 counties across
New Jersey
are out of attainment with EPA air standards because they exceed the current
annual soot standard. And we still have a lot of work to do meet the 2010
deadline – the DEP is working on new rules to propose early next year
to help the state reduce soot pollution.
Some of the strategies that DEP and Gov. Corzine can use to
clean diesel pollution include an executive order to use clean-up technology on
all publicly contracted off-road diesel vehicles; a strong polluter pays
principle which requires that the private trucking industry clean up their
engines through a small increase in the diesel fuel tax; and stronger clean-air
technology at New Jersey’s port and shipping centers.
According to EPA modeling, diesel pollution has short-term and
long-term impacts here in NJ every year: over 1,300 heart attacks, and over 17,000 asthma attacks and over 800
premature deaths.
NJ has the second
worst cancer risk rate from diesel pollution in the nation. New Jersey already has over 100,000 school
children who suffer from asthma and asthma attacks are the number one reason
for school absences.
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