By JOSH FUNK, AP Business Author
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it can consider adopting stricter rules on locomotive emissions in response to concerns raised by California regulators.
The EPA said it has arrange a team to guage whether it must update the pollution standards for locomotives that it put in place in 2008, and to take a look at what the agency can do to encourage railroads to upgrade their locomotives.
The EPA said it recognizes that though those 2008 rules set stringent standards for brand spanking new locomotives, the railroad workhorses proceed to be a big source of particulate matter and nitrous oxide emissions because older locomotives often remain in use for many years. Those emissions are related to increased cancer risks and other health problems — particularly in neighborhoods around railyards.
Diesel exhaust comprises tiny particles that may penetrate deep into the lungs, carrying a wide range of toxins which have been linked to cancer, lung disease, heart attacks and other ailments.
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The EPA announced the brand new effort in response to petitions that several California-based agencies that regulate pollution submitted in 2016 and 2017.
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California said he’s grateful the EPA is taking a more in-depth take a look at locomotive emissions.
“Employees and neighborhoods near ports and industrial rail yards have been subject to increased air pollution from locomotives for many years, facing higher instances of respiratory illnesses and premature death,” Padilla said.
A spokeswoman for the Association of American Railroads trade group said the industry has long worked with regulators on the EPA and other agencies, and that railroads welcome the possibility to proceed that conversation about setting goals to scale back locomotive emissions further.
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