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Senator Escamilla to continue work on voluntary diesel emissions registry; committee heard report without action
Summary
Committee received a status report on SB 184 (Diesel Emissions Reduction Amendments). Senator Escamilla said stakeholders plan summer interim work to redesign the bill into a stronger voluntary registry and incentive program modeled on Texas; no committee vote was taken.
Senator Escamilla briefed the Senate Transportation Committee on the background and next steps for Senate Bill 184, a diesel emissions reduction measure that would create a voluntary registry to prioritize funding and incentives for non‑road diesel equipment.
Escamilla said the bill stems from a division of air quality study (the final report was issued in November 2023) and aims to promote cleaner non‑road diesel engines through voluntary registration, which could be used to prioritize applicants when funding is available. After meeting with general contractors and other stakeholders, the sponsor said he intends to work during the interim to craft a stronger bill to encourage participation from smaller businesses that need incentives, and to incorporate best practices from other states such as Texas.
Witnesses and committee members discussed registration costs, participation incentives and the difficulty of counting non‑road diesel equipment when no central registry exists. The sponsor said the bill excludes most farming equipment by design and focuses on construction and other non‑road diesel equipment where voluntary registration could prioritize recipients for grant or rebate funding in the future.
Committee members welcomed the interim work and did not take a committee vote on the bill at this hearing; the sponsor plans stakeholder meetings over the summer and said a revised proposal will be filed next session.
