The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently unveiled a proposal to significantly reduce harmful emissions from non-road diesel engines used in construction, agricultural and industrial equipment. Non-road diesel engines “emit roughly two-thirds of vehicle-related particulate (or soot) emissions nationally, and almost one-fourth of the country's total emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), the main ingredient in smog,” according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. The proposed standards, which would take effect for new engines starting in 2008 and be fully phased in by 2014, call for more than 90 percent reductions in emissions of particulate matter and NOx, and are expected to prevent more than 9,600 premature deaths annually by 2030, according to EPA. This action would bring diesel emissions from non-road sources in line with recently issued standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses. As OMB Watch previously reported, EPA announced in June of 2002 that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) would be involved in the development of these standards, yet the agency’s press release makes no mention of this “unusual collaboration,” and the extent of OMB's involvement remains unclear. EPA plans to solicit input on the proposal, which is opposed by some in industry, at three public hearings in June and will accept public comments through August 20.