EPA to consider tougher locomotive emissions rules

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday it will consider adopting stricter rules on locomotive emissions in response to concerns by California regulators. EPA investigators will evaluate whether the agency needs to update the pollution standards for locomotives that the agency put in place in 2008. The EPA team will also look at what it can do to encourage railroads to upgrade their locomotives. The EPA said it recognizes that even after those 2008 rules locomotives have continued to be a significant source of emissions associated with increased cancer risks and other health problems, particularly in neighborhoods around ports and railyards.