EPA Budget Would Boost ‘Clean Diesel’ Spending

The Environmental Protection Agency’s fiscal year 2009 budget request includes $49.2 million in clean diesel grants, EPA said Monday following the release of President Bush’s budget.

That compares with a $35 million request in last year’s budget, according to EPA’s Web site.

EPA said $15 million of the clean diesel grants will be targeted to support its Sustainable Ports Initiative, “which recognizes that a forecasted tripling of container cargo in the next 12 years presents a major opportunity to make sure that the new infrastructure is built to be as energy-efficient as possible.”

The overall EPA budget request is for $7.14 billion fiscal year 2009, down from a $7.2 billion request last year, according to the agency’s Web site.

The budget also includes $98 million for EPA’s climate change programs to build upon partnership efforts to achieve reductions in US greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to the president’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas intensity by 18% by 2012.