Senate Considers $1-Billion Legislation for Diesel Emissions Reduction
18 June 2005
US Senator George Voinovich (R-OH) introduced bi-partisan legislation that will provide some $1 billion to support the reduction of emissions from existing diesel engines through retrofits and other programs. Such legislation would complement the pending EPA Clean Diesel regulations for new engines to reduce the emissions profile of the entire diesel fleet, old and new.
The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 (DERA), cosponsored by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), will distribute more than $1 billion over 5 years to establish voluntary national grant and loan programs for diesel emission reduction projects and programs.
EPA has designated 495 counties nationally as in nonattainment for the new ozone and/or particulate matter air quality standards. (Maps to right. Click to enlarge.) DERA is designed to help states and communities meet these standards. The legislation:
Authorizes $1 billion over 5 years ($200 million annually).
Provides that 70% of the funds are distributed by EPA.
Allocates 20% of funds to states to develop retrofit programs with an additional 10% available as an incentive for states to match the federal dollars being provided.
Establishes priority areas for projects—such as those that are more cost-effective and affect the most amount of people—and focuses the federal program on public fleets.
Includes provisions to help develop new technologies, encourage more action through non-financial incentives, and require EPA to outreach to stakeholders and report on the success of the program.
A range of national and regional environmental groups (Environmental Defense, UCS, Clean Air Task Force to name a few), businesses and trade associations (Caterpillar, Cummins, Engine Manufacturers Association, Associated General Contractors of America) support the bill.
New Product Release from Japan
Confidential Information! Only to YOU. Please keep this copy in your safe and do not disseminate any form without written permission.
Ion technology Co. in Japan developed their catalytic technology to improve performance, reduce air pollutants and increase the fuel efficiency of heavy-duty diesel engines. Their Iontechno catalytic converter is custom designed to install between the air filter and intake manifold. As the incoming air flows through the converter, the air is activated in such a way that combustion is more complete and Nox is reduced. This improves fuel economy, increases horsepower output and reduces air pollution.
Based on over 135,000 miles of testing on their trucks, the IonTechno Catalytic Converter is being installed on each of the 789 refrigerated trucks equipped with Digital Tachograph in a fleet of trucks in Japan. They found that fuel consumption was reduced an average of 22.5% because of combustion efficiency and Nox was reduced by over 89% because of catalytic activity. In addition to the fuel savings and environmental benefits of more efficient combustion, the increased horsepower output plus the reduced cost of maintaining a clean engine offered significant fringe benefits based on tachograph analysis.
The IonTechno Catalytic Converter induces high energy electron activity in the air just before it enters the combustion chamber. This activated air breaks molecular bonds regardless of temperature or pressure. When this air is compressed and heats up in the combustion chamber, it reacts with the long chain hydrocarbon molecules in the diesel fuel to form short chain hydrocarbons. Combustion of these short chain hydrocarbons releases more energy and burns clean—smoke and particulate emission are greatly reduced. The same engine using the same fuel puts out more power and discharges an environmentally friendly exhaust.
The installation cost on a heavy-duty truck is nominal because it does not require any modifications to the air filter, intake manifold or engine. Plans are in place to retrofit trucks in the US for evaluation by fleet owners concerned about the high cost of fuel and environmental restrictions.
For further information contact:
Motohiko Inagaki, Representative of Ion Technology Co. in US
Energaki@aol
711 E. walnut St., Suite 212, Pasadena, CA 91101
Posted by: Motohiko Inagaki | 20 June 2005 at 11:27 AM
very interesting stuff. Sounds like typical pork out of DC though. What kind of retrofits are they talking about? They could get MUCH more emmissions reductions by simply switching to Biodiesel.
Posted by: martin tobias | 21 June 2005 at 04:58 PM
It doesn’t seem to be quite baked yet...more funding allocation that technology mandate, with the exception that it looks like 30% goes to retrofit programs—I’m assuming PM filters and oxidizing catalytic converters....
But there should be room for biodiesel in there...
Posted by: Mike | 21 June 2005 at 06:05 PM
Read with interest. Diesel emissions are based on incomplete combustion (heavy diesel oil) I am a master technical engineer in the UK and we have the only one of its type in the world of a Diesel conditioner that reduces 99% sulphur compounds a as well as NOx reduction of 50 to 80% without using solvents. Contact me to find out more
Bernie Fineman MIMI M Tech Eng
[email protected] Cetox Technology UK
Posted by: Bernie Fineman | 25 June 2005 at 06:40 AM