Safe to Delay 1985 Diesel Rule, Study Says

Abstract

The final report of the National Research Council's (NRC is the contact arm of the National Academy of Sciences) final report of the diesel impacts study committee concludes that the government's goal for diesel engines in 1985 is too ambitious and should be stopped. The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) challenged the report as it omits mention of promising developments in diesel technology in 1981 (data collection for the study ceased in August 1980). The report says that while GM and other manufacturers could produce lightweight diesel cars, it will be difficult to make large family cars over 2000 pounds. GM estimates that the number of diesel cars sold per year will grow from four to 25% by 1990. Since the diesel engine omits 30 to 100 times more particulate matter than an equivalent gasoline engine, pollution could be a major health concern. However, the report finds, the risks are not well enough defined to justify the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) 1985 standard of 0.2 gram of particulates per mile. EPA should keep the present standard and review it every three years. The NRDC, however, claims that the NRC study is one and a half years out-of-date and that technology for controlling diesel emissions has greatly advanced since then.