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˜ Ben Nelson
April 8, 2009 – Today, Nebraska’s Senator Ben Nelson announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will provide $1.73 million to Nebraska to support clean diesel projects and loan programs as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).
“This program is a win-win for both Nebraska’s economy and its environment,” said Senator Nelson. “Funding for clean diesel projects will create new green-collar jobs for hardworking Nebraskans and reduce harmful emissions from diesel engines.”
Nebraska is a major corridor for the transportation of goods around the country using diesel trucks. According to the Federal Highway Administration, 15 percent of all trucks transporting goods travel through Nebraska per year. While these diesel trucks are crucial to the nation’s economy, the exhaust from diesel engines contains pollutants that contaminate Nebraska’s air and can cause serious health problems.
Through its National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC), the EPA helps develop and implement innovative new technologies that reduce harmful emissions from diesel engines. These funds will help promote a variety of clean diesel strategies, such as switching to cleaner fuels and retrofitting diesel engines with new emissions-reducing equipment.
Under the ARRA, the $88.2 million allocated for clean diesel programs nationally is divided equally through a non-competitive allocation process, meaning that each state and the District of Columbia receive $1.73 million.
Senator Nelson played a key role in the passage of the $787 billion stimulus bill. He worked with a bipartisan group of nearly 20 Senators to better focus The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on tax cuts for the middle class and job creation for millions of Americans. Senator Nelson led the group through the initial bill line by line, dollar by dollar, to reduce spending and cut out $108 billion of inefficient or less-stimulative spending. The bipartisan group helped the improved bill win congressional approval. President Obama signed it into law February 17, 2009.
Senator Nelson is posting information about the release of stimulus finds on his website as it becomes available. Visit http://bennelson.senate.gov/issues/stimulus/index.cfm for more information.
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