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Administrator Stephen L. Johnson, Diesel Technology Forum – White Handkerchief Test, Washington, D.C.
05/08/2006
As a lifelong scientist, I’m a true believer in the potential for technology to improve the well-being of our country. When I began at EPA, we used typewriters, and blackberries were just something you ate. Now computers sit on every desk, and we shoot messages around the world from the gadgets strapped to our belts. Today we are seeing that innovations in technology are powering our nation’s economy and driving our environmental success. President Bush is committed to a new national investment in energy innovation in order to break America’s dependency on foreign sources of energy. The President knows that America is too reliant on foreign energy, and the best way to get off this treadmill of dependency is through innovative technology. Today, we are heeding the President’s call by advancing the technologies that are good for our environment, good for our economy, and good for our energy security. For the past century, diesel engines have been America’s economic workhorse – reliable, fuel efficient and long lasting. Today, thanks to industry’s innovations, diesel engines will be dramatically cleaner as we continue to benefit from their famous fuel efficiency. Needless to say, these are definitely not your Grandfather’s diesel engines. Through innovations in technology, this economic workhorse is expanding into an environmental workhorse. And today – for the first time – our partners in the trucking, engine manufacturer, advocacy community have all come together to showcase and celebrate this new diesel engine technology. By working together, we are taking a glimpse into an exciting and not-too-distant future. On June 1 – just a few weeks away – diesel fuel producers across the country will switch their production to clean Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel. And by mid-October, this new clean diesel fuel will be widely available at truck stops and retail stations across the country. This switch to clean diesel is part of EPA's Clean Diesel Trucks and Buses Rule, which will cut the harmful emissions that contribute to soot and smog by up to 95 percent. And the nonroad diesel engines are not far behind. When the two programs are fully implemented, 20,000 premature deaths will be prevented. If you think about it, it just makes sense - cleaner fuels, leads to cleaner engines, and all of that leads to a lot cleaner air. These are exciting times for America. President Bush has set big goals for our nation’s energy security, our economic well-being, and our environmental health. By working with our partners – from engine companies to environmentalists – we are producing the innovations in technology that are powering our nation’s economy and driving our environmental successes. Again, thank you for the opportunity to be here today. |
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