Bush Team Reopens Diesel Sulfur Rule

WASHINGTON — White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card Jr. said the Bush administration will review diesel sulfur and clean engine standards imposed by the Environmental Protection Agency, postponing the regulation’s effective date for 60 days.

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Speaking at her Senate confirmation hearing Jan. 17, EPA Administrator-designate Christine Todd Whitman said she “has an obligation to review all the rules” issued by the agency under the Clinton administration.

Trade groups representing oil refining and engine manufacturing companies are optimistic the review could lead to relaxed standards. “We fully agree . . . that there is a need for Bush administration review,” said Mike Shanahan, spokesman for the American Petroleum Institute.

The Clinton-run EPA wanted to slash the amount of sulfur in diesel fuel by 97% in 2006, enabling new-generation diesel engines to run cleaner and meet established 2007 emissions standards. EPA said the standards were justified to address mounting public health concerns that particulate matter in diesel exhaust is a major cause of respiratory problems.

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