Fuels and Fuel Additives
Diesel Fuel
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The cleaner diesel fuel program significantly reduces sulfur content, creating immediate health benefits, and allowing engine manufacturers to begin using advanced emissions control systems that further reduce harmful emissions. The diesel program regulations are located in 40 CFR Part 80 subpart I.
- A 15 parts per million (ppm) sulfur specification, known as Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD), was phased in for highway diesel fuel from 2006-2010. Diesel engines equipped with advanced emission control devices (generally, 2007 and later model year engines and vehicles) must use highway ULSD fuel. Exhaust emissions from these engines will decrease by more than 90%.
- Regulatory Program: Highway Diesel Fuel
- Fact Sheet: Heavy-Duty Engine and Vehicle Standards and Highway Diesel Fuel Sulfur Control Requirements (PDF) (4 pp, 124K, EPA420-F-00-057, December 2000)
- Low sulfur (500 ppm) and Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel will be phased in for nonroad, locomotive, and marine (NRLM) engines from 2007-2014. These fuel requirements, coupled with advanced emission control technologies, will decrease emissions from these engines by more than 90%.
- Regulatory Program: Nonroad, Locomotive, and Marine Diesel Fuel
- Fact Sheets: Regulatory Announcement: Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule (PDF) (5 pp, 122K, EPA420-F-04-032, May 2004)
- EPA adopted changes to the diesel fuel program to allow for the production and sale of diesel fuel with up to 1,000 ppm sulfur for use in Category 3 marine vessels. The regulations generally forbid production and sale of fuels with more than 1,000 ppm sulfur for use in most U.S. waters, unless operators achieve equivalent emission reductions in other ways.
- Regulatory Program: Category 3 Marine Rule
- Fact Sheet: Regulatory Announcement: EPA Finalizes More stringent Standards for Control of Emissions from New marine Compression-Ignition Engines at or Above 30 Liters per Cylinder (PDF) (6 pp, 144K, EPA420-F-09-068, December 2009)
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