Sept. 26, 2013— Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, testified Tuesday in front of the U.S. Senate subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety in a presentation entitled “Black Carbon—A Global Health Problem with Low-Cost Solutions.”

In his testimony, Schaeffer highlighted how the availability of clean diesel technology in several industries, including transportation, has helped reduce black carbon emissions in the U.S.
Schaeffer also stressed the need to continue federal support for successful programs that provide emissions solutions for existing equipment, helping meet air quality standards.

Schaeffer outlined the role of diesel engines in the black carbon inventory and the diesel industry’s progress toward achieving near-zero emissions across all categories of engines and equipment. He also offered support for programs like the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) that address emissions reductions from existing engines and equipment.

“Thanks to billions of dollars in investment and unprecedented innovation in the industry, we have met the challenge of virtually eliminating emissions from diesel engines,” Schaeffer told the committee. “New clean diesel engines in commercial trucks and most construction and farm equipment today emit 98 percent fewer emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, of which black carbon is a component, compared to an engine manufactured in 1988.”