PEORIA, Ill. — Caterpillar has thrown its support behind a U.S. bipartisan bill that would provide incentives for truck fleets to upgrade their engines, reducing emissions.

The new legislation, if passsed, will make it cheaper and easier for fleets to replace older engines or retrofit them with clean-diesel emissions technology, Caterpillar officials say. The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 is being spearheaded by Sen. George Voinovich from Ohio.

“This national retrofit legislation is another important component of the emissions reduction effort that will provide Caterpillar customers a more consistent national approach to retrofitting machines and engines,” says Jim Parker, Caterpillar vice-president with responsibility for the Power Systems Marketing Division. “As more of our customers bid on projects that include emissions requirements, this bill will help them to remain competitive and grow their businesses.”

The proposed bill would see $1 billion in funding for the program over five years in the form of grant and loan programs for states and other organizations looking to take part in retrofitting diesel-powered engines.

“The Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of 2005 is a good example of common sense legislation that is winning support from industry and non-governmental organizations that are working together on retrofit activities as a viable solution for reducing emissions in older diesel engines,” said Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense.

Caterpillar has been a supporter of pilot retrofit initiatives in the past, which have already made a significant difference, the company says.

“As a result of retrofits, Caterpillar customers have already removed more than 8,900 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and more than 1,400 tons of particulate matter (PM) from the air,” Parker said. “That’s equal to having 2,250 trucks running on our nation’s roads with zero NOx and PM emissions.”