DERA LIVES! House votes to fund Diesel Emissions Reduction Act through 2029 — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- The US House of Representatives voted 343-79 to extend DERA funding through 2029 as part of a 14-bill bipartisan package that also included AM radio preservation legislation.
- HR 2140, introduced by Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and Nick Langworthy (R-NY), authorizes $100 million in annual EPA grants through fiscal year 2029.
- The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, administered by the US EPA, issues competitive grants that bridge the cost gap between older diesel trucks and equipment and cleaner replacements, targeting medium- and heavy-duty fleet electrification.
- Over its two decades in effect, DERA has helped remove tens of thousands of engines from the road and saved fleets more than 500 million gallons of fuel — a figure the article notes now carries extra weight given 2026's elevated fuel prices.
- American Trucking Associations' Henry Hanscom praised the bipartisan legislation as ensuring carriers can keep modernizing fleets for fuel savings and further emissions cuts.
- The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration before reaching the President's desk.
Why it matters: Fleet operators retain access to federal grants that offset the steep upfront costs of swapping diesel trucks for cleaner alternatives, and those fuel savings compound sharply under 2026's elevated fuel prices. The 343-79 vote margin reflects rare bipartisan consensus on emissions policy, though Senate passage is still required before the program is locked in through 2029.
Ask SkimNews
