The U.S. biodiesel industry produced more than 1 billion gallons of fuel in 2011, a key milestone. Continue Reading

New federal fuel efficiency standards were announced yesterday, and they affect a broad span of vehicles, ranging from tractor-trailers, heavy-duty pickups and vans, and vocational uses. Tractor-trailers are targeted to achieve a 20 percent reduction in both fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions by model year 2018. Within this group, there are even more specific requirements determined by design and Continue Reading

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is tweaking its SmartWay program with an updated designation and new logos with which to label trucks and trailers. Now, equipment that meets the agency’s requirements for its reduced emissions components or performance will be tagged “SmartWay Designated” rather than “SmartWay Certified.” This is partly to distinguish trucks that go beyond meeting EPA regulatory Continue Reading

Navistar is once again suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because it is at odds with the selective catalytic reduction technology other engine manufacturers have been using to meet 2010 diesel exhaust emissions regulations. The OEM claims that the SCR technology can be easily circumvented, making it do little as a result to protect the environment. Named in the suit is EPA Director Lisa Jackson, who is being accused of not doing her duty to uphold the Clean Air Act and her agency of not doing its part to protect public health. Multiple Continue Reading

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has expanded its SmartWay programs to include a dray-truck initiative to help clean up ports by targeting what are most often the most egregious offenders. Under the terms of the program, carriers commit to track and reduce particulate-matter and nitrogen oxides emissions over a three-year period. Furthermore, they will dedicate the newest or cleaner trucks in Continue Reading

A rule stemming from a 2007 Congressional mandate and an Executive Order released by President Obama earlier this year is open for public comment through Jan. 31, 2011. The joint proposal comes from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that aims to reduce emissions from medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. Specifically for tractor-trailers, the proposed engine and vehicle standards begin in the 2014 model year and establish a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions and fuel consumption by the Continue Reading

Only a small portion of dairy fleets are participants in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) SmartWay Program, but a relatively new group aims to change that. E-Smart, a project that unites transportation experts to address challenges specific to dairy transport, wants to get these fleets on board to help cut the industry’s transportation carbon dioxide emissions by 165,000 metric tons annually, potentially saving 16.5 million gallons of Continue Reading

The more than $5 million in grants recently awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) won’t be funding the use of commonplace components to reduce emissions. Instead, the clean diesel grants will support emerging technologies not yet verified or certified by the EPA or the California Air Resources Board (CARB). The $5.6 million in awards will fund port, locomotive and bus projects for Continue Reading

Buoyed by the benefits to the environment and reducing dependence on foreign oil, NGVAmerica, a national organization to furthering development and widespread use of vehicles powered by natural gas or hydrogen, is backing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal for certifying natural gas aftermarket vehicle conversion. It’s a step that will help expand the use of alternative fuels, and one that’s Continue Reading

A motion that would have given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions was defeated by the Senate by slimmest of margins late last week. The resolution, defeated by a 53-47 vote would have given the EPA authority to make rules regarding reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The defeat, however, signaled to President Obama the need for Continue Reading