President Donald Trump on Friday announced the Environmental Protection Agency was removing the DEF sensor requirement for all diesel equipment used by farmers, truckers, and bus drivers.
At the same time, Congress introduced the Diesel Liberation Act, which seeks to do much the same with the full force of law.
EPA in a press release said the move “will provide immediate relief and save billions of dollars in repairs and lost productivity” by no longer requiring DEF sensors.
The move follows a February action seeking to end diesel derates.
EPA cited the Small Business Administration as saying its guidance “will save farmers $4.4 billion a year and this action will provide $13.79 billion a year of savings to Americans.”
"We had a ridiculous Washington restriction -- the so-called 'Diesel Exhaust Fluid' requirement,” Trump said in announcing the measure at an event called the White House Great American Agriculture Celebration. “Today, we're announcing new guidelines drastically limiting these ridiculous DEF rules, saving farmers and consumers billions and billions of dollars."
EPA’s guidance itself address manufacturers “of diesel engines equipped with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) emission controls regarding Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) as an adjustable parameter."
“The EPA has significant concerns about ongoing reports of DEF inducements due to the failure of [Urea Quality Sensors] impacting the owners and operators of diesel-powered equipment unnecessarily,” EPA’s guidance said. “Manufacturers who can improve the robustness of their SCR systems through the use of alternative monitoring technologies, including the use of NOx sensors, are encouraged to make such changes, including on their existing products. EPA staff are prepared to work with manufacturers to evaluate and approve alternate approaches on an expedited basis.”
EPA’s guidance, however, does not have the force of law.
On the same day as EPA’s new guidance came out, Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced the Diesel Truck Liberation Act, which would codify the regulatory efforts from EPA.
“Failing DEF systems are not an East Coast or West Coast or heartland issue; it is a nationwide disaster. I have heard from truck drivers, farmers, and many others complaining about DEF and pleading for a fix in all 50 states I visited during my first year as EPA Administrator,” said EPA Administrator Zeldin. “Americans are justified in being fed up with failing DEF system issues. EPA understands this is a massive issue and has been doing everything in our statutory power to address this."
“Few small businesses have been hit harder by the Green New Scam than those who make up America’s great agriculture industry, where massive regulatory burdens have crushed family farms and driven up grocery costs,” said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
