Doris O. Matsui

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of H.R. 2140, and I am proud to lead the Diesel Emissions Reductions Act. I am thankful to Representatives Calvert, Langworthy, and Pingree for working with my office to advance this bill and to secure consistent annual funding for the Diesel Emission Reductions Act program, known as DERA. For more than two decades, DERA has been a model of effective bipartisan policymaking. First authorized in 2005, the DERA program has helped replace or retrofit thousands of old diesel trucks, buses, and other diesel engines. Diesel pollution is linked to lung damage, cancer, and heart disease. Replacing older diesel vehicles and engines has meaningfully reduced pollution in communities across the country and delivered billions of dollars in public health benefits. I am proud to work with my bipartisan co-leads, especially in this hyperpartisan moment, to continue supporting DERA and to continue driving down diesel pollution. Under the DERA program, California has replaced thousands of polluting trucks, tractors, and school buses. Fifty-eight percent of DERA projects go toward replacing old diesel school buses. Thanks to DERA, children across California and the country are breathing cleaner and healthier air as they ride to school. Now, as diesel prices reach at least $6 per gallon--more in California--DERA is more important than ever. DERA doesn't just save lives. It saves fuel, too, and that saves everyone money. Diesel vehicles move our food, plow our fields, deliver packages, and stock our shelves. When diesel prices go up, families pay more for everyday goods. DERA helps save money by replacing old, inefficient diesel vehicles with newer, more efficient vehicles that use less fuel. DERA also saves money by avoiding diesel altogether and switching vehicles to other cleaner fuels, like propane, natural gas, or electricity. EPA estimates that DERA projects have saved more than 572 million gallons of diesel. At $6 a gallon, that is $3.4 billion saved. That means cleaner air, lower operating costs, and better use of taxpayer dollars. I am proud to lead the reauthorization of this practical, bipartisan program that is delivering real results for communities across the country. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.