Funding Equality for D.C. in Energy Bill Passed Today (6/12/08)

Washington, D.C. î º Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) achieved another "Free and Equal" D.C. provision today in a bill giving the District access to National Clean Diesel Campaign grants to reduce emissions from the District's 900 diesel engine fleet for the first time. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced earlier this year that more than $50 million was authorized by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, but Norton noticed that the District of Columbia was not permitted to apply for these matching funds because the law only applied to the "50 states." The grants can be used here for school buses, metro buses, medium and heavy-duty trucks. Norton's amendment was included in S.2146 after she approached members of the Energy and Commerce Committee and argued that the District is always considered a state for grant funding, notwithstanding the use of "50 states" language for eligibility in the original statute. "It's bad enough to leave D.C. out of bills like the coin bill, which thankfully we now have, but it's far worse not to be included in a bill for millions of dollars in badly needed grant funding," Norton said. "With the District now in this law, D.C. takes another small step towards full equal treatment with the 50 states in funding where it matters." The bill is on its way to the President.

Norton has made energy conservation, alternative energy sources, greening andenergy technology a top priority in her work as the chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. She has held hearings on "Greening the Nation's Capital" and joined Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in a congressional delegation to India in April for discussions on climate change and other important environmental issues.

Reducing emissions from diesel engines is one of the most important air quality challenges facing the country. Even with more stringent heavy-duty highway and non-road engine standards set to take effect over the next decade, millions of diesel engines already in use will continue to emit large amounts of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and air toxics, which contribute to serious public health problems. These emissions are linked to thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks, millions of lost work days, and numerous other health impacts every year.