Skip to main content

US bill for low emission machine upgrades

A new political bill put forward in the US House of Representatives could provide financial assistance to contractors looking to upgrade equipment with new low emission technology. This bipartisan bill is intended to help improve air quality around infrastructure projects and should making it easier and more cost-effective to upgrade construction equipment to meet diesel soot emissions standards.
May 4, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A new political bill put forward in the US House of Representatives could provide financial assistance to contractors looking to upgrade equipment with new low emission technology. This bipartisan bill is intended to help improve air quality around infrastructure projects and should making it easier and more cost-effective to upgrade construction equipment to meet diesel soot emissions standards. The legislation will help US states cut pollution and will also boost jobs. The bill will allow contractors working on federal transportation infrastructure projects to use a portion of the budget to reduce pollution from their older diesel-powered equipment. The bill aims to achieve a priority set in the last surface transportation authorisation by broadening access to federal funds under existing transportation programmes for diesel engine upgrades. This bill is intended to allow improvements to be made to existing equipment that still has a useful life by installing new generation diesels. The 3537 Associated General Contractors of America and the Clean Air Task Force are both supportive of the bill. Stephen Sander, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of America said, "This approach will protect the environment without punishing contractors for purchasing equipment that met all clean air standards in place at the time."

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Cold milling popular for road materials recycling
    July 4, 2012
    Milling techniques remain one of the most widely used recycling methods Well-proven, cold milling techniques remain one of the most widely used methods for materials recycling in road construction. Milled road materials can be cleaned up and re-used in both asphalt and concrete highway construction. German firm Wirtgen has long dominated the market for road milling machines and has the largest share of the sector (as well as the broadest product range), although other firms based in Europe and the US are be
  • Better asset management will reduce costs and improve efficiency
    August 22, 2013
    The FEHRL Infrastructure Research Meeting 2013 (FIRM 2013) raised key issues in transport innovation The key theme for FIRM 13 was advanced and innovative construction and maintenance, highlighting the importance of efficient asset management. Infravation, or infrastructure innovation, was another focus area for the event. Joris Al, FEHRL president said, “We aim to bring interested parties together. We’ve decided to build on existing knowledge rather than starting with front edge technologies and working
  • Airport's high demands on asphalt and concrete techniques
    July 11, 2012
    Airport runway, taxiway and parking areas make high demands on paving requirements, both with concrete and asphalt techniques. Mike Woof reports. High quality surface finishes are required in airport environments for runways, taxiways and aircraft parking areas. Because of the speed at which aircraft take off and land and the massive forces exerted due to the weight of the aircraft, particularly during landing, runway structures need to be incredibly strong. The surfaces also have to be constructed to very
  • Shell’s John Read explains “adaptable bitumen” developments
    December 15, 2016
    Shell’s highly innovative bitumen and asphalt solutions are helping create future-ready urban road networks around the world to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. Shell’s general manager of bitumen technology, Professor John Read, takes a look at some of the company’s game-changing ideas. The next 30 or so years will see a significant transformation in the way we live. Whereas almost 75% of the world’s population lived in rural locations in 1950, around 75% will live in cities by 2050. The global popu