The law appropriated funds to federal and state loan programs to either rebuild diesel-powered vehicle engines to more stringent emission standards or install emission reduction systems, notify affected parties, and share the technological information with countries that have poor air quality standards.
Test plans for new technologies should be submitted to the EPA or California Air Resources Board (CARB).
These funds are designed to help the states meet diesel emissions reductions through the use of certified engine configurations or verified technologies only.
[1] DERA required the EPA to submit to Congress a report regarding the implementation of the federal and state grant and loan programs a year after funds were appropriated.
The report stated that upwards of 14,000 diesel-powered engines were made cleaner under DERA, two-thirds of those being trucks and school buses through EPA sector outreach programs.
[3] DERA also requires that the EPA share the technological resources regarding the retrofitting and modification of diesel engines to reduce emissions with foreign countries that have poor air quality standards.
Nastri concludes his address by stating that even through the current efforts of the Clean Diesel Emissions Campaign, it will take a staggering amount of money that the EPA does not have.
[7] Under this renewal, DERA would be active until 2016, and the legislation would attempt to modify the program by adding a competitive bidding process for groups seeking funding.
This bill would eligibility requirements for grants and low-cost loans to include individual owners and other private entities that manage diesel fleets and are contractors with the federal government.
On September 17, 2010, ECTA wrote a letter on behalf of its member organizations thanking Senators George Voinovich (R) and Tom Carper (D – Delaware) for their bipartisan efforts in helping pass the 2010 renewal of DERA.
This was a success for ECTA, whose mission is to achieve higher air quality through public policy that curbs harmful emissions.
In the letter, ECTA states that more than $20 in healthcare savings is generated for every dollar spent on DERA, yielding a high cost-benefit ratio.