Trucking Could Be Hit Under Retrofit Decree

f the same type of consent decree approved by the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island were to be applied to other jurisdictions, trucking companies charged with emission violations could be required to spend millions of dollars to help make air cleaner in the areas where they operate, a federal official said.

Under the terms of the recent Rhode Island settlement, Cosmed Group — a product sterilization company based in Jamestown, R.I. — would be required to spend $1 million to retrofit diesel-fueled vehicles for municipalities and commuter rail trains, convert school buses to propane fuel and reduce emissions from diesel-fueled auxiliary power units in four urban areas, federal officials said.

Penalties of that nature can be assessed against any company that violates the Clean Air Act, including trucking firms, said Dave Deegan, a spokesman for the New England regional office of the Environmental Protection Agency.