AGC last week joined a broad coalition of environmental, science-based, public health, industry, and state and local government groups by signing a group letter in support of expanded funding in fiscal year 2011 for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Program (DERP).
President Obama requested $60 million for the DERP program in his FY 2011 budget request to Congress. However, citing the huge demand and bipartisan support for diesel retrofit as evidenced by more than $1 billion in quality applications that could not be funded last year, the letter, signed by over 317 groups, requests that Congress fund the DERP program at a level of $100 million. The letter also supports the President's increased request for funding of state air quality grants ($309.1 million) since these funds help pay for core air pollution control activities by state and local governments under the Clean Air Act.
For more information, contact Karen Lapsevic at (202) 547-4733 or lapsevick@agc.org.