EPA diesel project 'not just about air quality'

A project to reduce the use of equipment reliant on dirty diesel is not merely an issue of air quality but will also have an effect on the quality of life of California residents, according to one state official.

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, whose ambition is to make LA the greenest big city in the US, said that the air in the city and the rest of the southern California region needs to be improved in order to protect local inhabitants from diesel pollution.

His comments follow yesterday's announcement that $26.5 million (£16.7 million) worth of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be invested in diesel emission reduction projects in the south of the state.

"These resources will further support innovation, emission reduction and job creation in Los Angeles, specifically at the Port where we've already demonstrated that initiatives to clean the air - like the historic Clean Truck Program - work," stated Mr Villaraigosa.

Written by Joseph Hutton