Environmental News Update:
First International Diesel Retrofit Project Awarded to Mexico City
Contacts: Enesta Jones, 202-564-7873 /
jones.enesta@epa.gov
Lisa Lybbert, 001-202-251-3354 /
lybbert.lisa@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. - June 21, 2004) In Mexico City, EPA Administrator
Mike Leavitt today joined colleagues from the World Resources
Institute,
Mexico City government, the Mexican Ministry for Environment and
Natural
Resources, and the Mexico City Center for Sustainable Transport to
announce the launch of the Mexico City Diesel Retrofit Project. This
pilot project will reduce emissions of particulates and other
pollutants
by as much as 90 percent or more in a fleet of 20 Mexico City diesel
buses. The fine particulate matter and other emissions from older
diesel-powered trucks and buses are known to pose serious public health
concerns and are a major cause of air pollution in Mexico City.
"EPA is excited to be here in Mexico to launch our first
international
retrofit project," said Leavitt. This collaborative project
builds on
the success of our domestic diesel retrofit programs, and when
replicated, will help improve the air quality for the people of Mexico
City.
The project is designed to demonstrate how the combined use of low
sulfur fuels and diesel retrofit technologies can improve air quality
and reduce impacts to public health. The project is similar to
diesel
retrofit projects now underway in U.S. cities including Seattle, New
York City, and Washington, DC, where fleet owners and operators have
committed to retrofit more than 150,000 diesel vehicles. The Mexico
City Diesel Retrofit Project is EPA's first international retrofit
project, and is already serving as a model for EPA projects in other
areas of the world.
EPA and EMBARQ, the World Resources Institute's Center for Transport
and
the Environment, are awarding grants totaling $511,000 to the Center
for
Sustainable Transport, a Mexico City-based non-governmental
organization
to implement the project. This project represents a unique
international collaboration between two countries, two non-governmental
organizations and a capital city. The pilot is expected to last one
year.
More information about the Mexico City Diesel Retrofit Project and EPA's
Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/latestnews.htm.
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