The Environmental Protection Agency is on the roll these days, as we see more and more action being taken to lower pollution standards. Yesterday the agency’s administrator Stephen L. Johnson announced the plans to slash pollution from locomotive and marine diesel engines by 90 percent by 2030.

“Today EPA is fitting another important piece into the clean diesel puzzle by cleaning emissions from our trains and boats," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "As more and more goods flow through our ports and railways, EPA is cutting diesel emissions at their source – keeping our nation on track toward a clean, healthy, productive tomorrow."

The new standards aim at reducing soot or particulate matter (PM)by 90 percent or 27,000 tons, and at the same time, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions (NOx) by 80 percent or 800,000 tons. According to the agency’s own estimation, this will prevent 1,400 premature deaths and 120,000 lost workdays annually in 2030.

In terms of health benefits, the Clean Diesel Locomotive and Marine program will bring annual health benefits valued between $8.4 billion and $12 billion. The benefits will improve once new and better technologies will manufacture engines that better comply with these standards.

The emission cuts will include all types of diesel locomotives, including line-haul, switch, and passenger rail, the agency reports, as well as marine sources, including ferries and tugboats. Further along, the agency also said that phasing in tighter long-term standards for PM and NOx will begin in 2014 for marine diesel engines and in 2015 for locomotive engines.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) said it “will be up to the challenge.” The AAR president and CEO Edward R. Hamberger said: “The railroads will need to develop an infrastructure to handle the fueling of locomotives with urea and maintain diesel particulate filters so heavy that cranes likely will be needed to remove and reinstall them for maintenance […] In meeting the emissions limits established by the previous standards, the railroad industry has achieved emissions and energy efficiencies beyond those contemplated at the time the previous standards were issued.”