[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 23514]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DIESEL EMISSIONS REDUCTION ACT

  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I am joined by my colleague, Senator 
Voinovich, in support of the passage of the Diesel Emissions Reduction 
Act of 2010, DERA. The folks of Ohio and Delaware sent us to Washington 
to find ideas that will work, ideas we can all agree on to make our 
country even better. An idea that works is the Diesel Emissions 
Reduction Act or DERA.
  The DERA program is one of the best actions our government has taken 
to improve air quality and help States and localities meet air quality 
standards. First authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, DERA has 
provided funding for the modernization of our Nation's old diesel fleet 
in the United States through voluntary national and State-level grant 
and loan programs. Since its enactment in 2005, DERA has provided 
significant public health benefits, improved our national energy 
security, and helped create jobs. Currently, DERA helps clean up more 
than 14,000 diesel-powered vehicles and equipment across the country, 
which has reduced emissions while employing thousands of workers who 
manufacture, sell or repair diesel vehicles and their components in 
each State.
  The Environmental Protection Agency has estimated that there are 
still millions of older diesel engines now in use and need to be 
replaced or retrofitted. To meet this need, the Diesel Emissions 
Reduction Act of 2010 authorizes the continuation of this successful 
program for 2012 through 2016. It also slightly modifies the program to 
improve its effectiveness and administration. Despite the significant 
benefits and need for DERA, the legislation set the authorization 
levels for 2012 through 2016 at half the levels of that for 2007 
through 2011. The authorizing levels were reduced to be more in line 
with what has been normally appropriated for the program. The cut in 
authorization levels in no way reflects the need for the program and in 
no way should be interpreted as an indication that funding levels 
should be decreased.
  Senator Voinovich and I would like to thank the President and our 
colleagues for their support of DERA. We are proud that this 
commonsense approach to creating jobs and cleaning up our Nation's air 
will become law.

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