The trucking industry applauded the Senate’s passage of the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) of 2023, which would reauthorize the DERA program through fiscal year 2029 at $100 million annually. The bill will now be considered by the House of Representatives.
“Through the trucking industry’s sustained commitment to environmental responsibility and the government’s constructive partnership, heavy-duty truck tailpipe emissions of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter have sharply declined by 99% over the past several decades. The DERA program has been pivotal to this success, incentivizing motor carriers to embrace innovation and adopt the newest, cleanest equipment available,” said American Trucking Associations President & CEO Chris Spear. “We are grateful that the Senate voted unanimously to continue this tried-and-true model of working collaboratively with our industry to strengthen the supply chain, improve air quality and bolster domestic manufacturing jobs, and we are particularly appreciative of U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Shelley Moore Capito’s leadership in getting this bill across the finish line.”
DERA provides federal grants and rebates to help finance the voluntary replacement or retrofits of heavy-duty diesel vehicles and engines. By helping to upgrade tens of thousands of vehicles over nearly two decades, DERA is responsible for saving more than 520 million gallons of fuel.
Replacing older vehicles is critical to protecting the environment because advancements in clean diesel engine technology have resulted in substantially lower emissions. In fact, it would take 60 of today’s trucks to emit what just one truck did in 1988. A newly manufactured truck produces half the CO2 emissions of one manufactured in 2010.
DERA is far more cost effective at reducing emissions than unworkable battery-electric truck mandates being pursued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State of California. According to a recent study commissioned by the Clean Freight Coalition, full electrification of the U.S. commercial truck fleet would require nearly $1 trillion in infrastructure investment alone.
DERA is a technology-neutral program that allows for innovation and alternative fuel sources like renewable diesel, which generates a lower lifecycle carbon footprint than battery-electric vehicles at a fraction of the cost.
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