Federal Appeals Court Upholds EPA Rules to Clean Up Diesel Fuel

A federal appeals court upheld Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that require manufacturers of heavy trucks and buses to cut 95 percent of pollutants from tailpipes of diesel vehicles by 2007-model year. The regulations also call for a 97-percent reduction of sulfur in diesel fuel. If fully implemented, the rules will cut 2.6 million tons of smog-causing nitrogen oxide emissions and 11,000 tons of soot or particulate matter, according to EPA’s estimates. The National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, one of the organizations that sued the EPA, argued in its lawsuit that the industry would not be able to keep up if it is mandated to quickly reduce the sulfur content of fuels, which would result in shortages.