The U.S. government has expressed its concern over the global warming issue confronting the global community. During the latest State of the Union Address given by President George W. Bush, he emphasized his vision for reduced emissions and reduced fuel dependency on other countries.
In response to this, different agencies in the government have taken steps to make the vision into reality. The auto industry has also responded to the call for cleaner engines. Recently, diesel engines used for construction, agricultural, and industrial works undergone testing and has passed them. This is good news not only for the makers of these diesel engines but also for the entire country.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency or the EPA has announced that they have finished the preliminary emission testing for construction, agricultural, and industrial diesel powered engines. The EPA also confirmed that the emission figures cited by the engines’ manufacturers are all accurate. The recently concluded testing is just the first wave of evaluations that is aimed to ensure that non-road diesel engines will meet the emission standards set by the government.
The EPA’s Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Fuel emission standard will be implemented as early as next year. The tests that these nonroad diesel engines will undergo have been done by the agency in the past decades already.
The diesel engines were tested at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory. The laboratory is where EPA conducts emission testing on engines whether powered by diesel or gasoline. This is also where the second batch of testing will rake place. The second wave of testing that nonroad diesel engines will undergo will be held in the spring.
The positive result of the first batch of testing is also what the manufacturers of the nonroad diesel engines are hoping for in the next session of emission tests. These tests are indicative of what engine manufacturers are doing in response to the threat of global warming and in response to the challenge issued by different sectors in the country.
The Environmental Protection Agency is a federal agency charged with the responsibility of protecting human health and the protection of the natural resources. In the effort to achieve their goal, the agency conducts these tests to ensure that the health of the general public is safeguarded against the harmful effects of emissions from nonroad diesel engines.
The tests are done in implementing the Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule completed in 2004. The rule is aimed to cut down the number of premature deaths as a result of the harmful effects of diesel engines to human health. The rule is estimated to reduce premature deaths by as much as 12,000 cases. In the effort of the EPA to enforce stricter emission standards, they act as a Covercraft car cover which shields the environment from the harmful effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
By: Jenny McLane