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April 6, 2000 9:10 AM, EDT

Diesel engine lubrication oil was once a sticky issue with the Environmental Protection Agency, but no more.

The lubricant’s sulfur content was once believed to be a significant contributor to the harmful tailpipe emissions that EPA was trying to keep out of the air. The federal agency said an insufficient amount of the oil escapes through the tailpipe and does not warrant further review.

“Most of the oil consumption on trucks isn’t because the lube oil is burned, but because oil is vented through the crankcase, and since it is vented it never comes out of the tailpipe,” said Paul Machiele, manager of EPA’s Assessments and Standards Division with the Office of Transportation and Air Quality.

EPA is developing the Heavy Duty Diesel Standard for 2006 that would cap the level of sulfur in diesel fuel to a level below the current 500 parts per million for on-road vehicle use. It is widely believed the cap will be set at 15 ppm.

For the full story, see the Apr. 3 print edition of Transport Topics. .