Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011

Floor Speech

* Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Chair, I rise to express my opposition and urge my colleagues to oppose Amendment 338, which would zero out funding for the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, also known as ``DERA.''

* Studies have shown that diesel emissions are one of the most significant threats to public health. In order to address this problem in a manner that is both responsible to businesses reliant upon diesel engines, and to protect the general public from further exposure to the damaging emission from diesel engines, Congress enacted DERA.

* This voluntary program provided federal and state grant funding to retrofit diesel engines to reduce emissions. It has been endorsed by over 500 public health, environmental and industry supporters, including the American Lung Association, Caterpillar, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

* Retrofitting provides enormous environmental, and therefore health, benefits, but before this program was implemented, there was little economic benefit for vehicle and equipment owners to do so. It is estimated that DERA could reduce particulate matter emissions by 70,000 tons, generate nearly $20 billion in economic benefit, and return $13 of benefit for every one dollar invested.

* The incentives provided by DERA support voluntary rather than regulatory efforts to assist states meet air quality standards. Zeroing out funding for this program would effectively kill those efforts. It would hamper the development and demand of ``clean diesel'' technology as well as put a further strain on those workers who manufacture, sell, repair, or retrofit diesel vehicles. This program has great support on both sides of the aisle and should not be eliminated here today.

* For those reasons I again urge my colleagues to vote against this amendment.

Source