[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 51 (Monday, December 25, 2000)]
[Page 3153]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Action To Reduce Diesel Emissions

December 21, 2000

    A year ago today I announced the toughest air pollution standards 
for new cars and sport utility vehicles. Today we take another bold step 
to clean our air. We are adopting strong new measures to dramatically 
reduce unhealthy and unsightly emissions from trucks and buses powered 
by diesel fuel. Together, these actions represent the most sweeping 
effort ever to protect our air and our health from the pollution caused 
by the vehicles we drive. They ensure that by the end of the decade, 
every new car, truck, and SUV in America will be up to 95 percent 
cleaner than those on the road today.
    Today's action by the Environmental Protection Agency mandates 
cleaner diesel fuel and extends the latest pollution control technology 
to all trucks and buses for the first time. These advances will prevent 
not only the thick plumes of diesel exhaust all too familiar to 
motorists but also thousands of cases of respiratory illness and 
premature deaths. We will spare thousands of children and elderly the 
agony of asthma and bronchitis and help to fulfill the promise of clean, 
healthy air for every American.
    For the past 8 years, Vice President Gore and I have been guided by 
the conviction that a strong economy and a healthy environment go hand 
in hand. Indeed, our Nation entered the 21st century enjoying both 
unprecedented prosperity and the cleanest air and water in a generation. 
Our actions a year ago and today will help ensure an even safer and more 
prosperous future for generations yet to come.