Eligibility for the incentive will be determined by a company's "demonstrated achievement" in at least two areas, including energy efficiency, air pollution, water pollution, and hazardous waste. Companies must also commit to additional improvements to be determined by EPA. Small business candidates will need to meet fewer criteria.

Suppliers of ultra-low sulphur diesel (ULSD) fuel in Hong Kong have revised their import schedules to bring in the fuel as early as August this year.

Currently, the duty on regular diesel is $2 per litre. The Hong Kong government has adopted an import duty incentive programme to stimulate the use of ULSD fuel. An initial concessionary duty of HK$1.11 per litre, will be charged until 1 Jan 2001. It will then be increased to $2.

Japan's Environment Agency was considering applying the same emission standards for gasoline-powered vehicles to diesel cars and diesel trucks of less than 3.5 tons. Such a rule would effectively ban the sale of new diesel trucks and cars because it is technically impossible to manufacture diesel vehicles that meet the standards. Current vehicles will only be allowed to operate during a phase-out period. The new rules would also:

• Replace larger diesel trucks with vehicles that meet the latest regulations from 2005;
• Require firms that own more than 30 diesel vehicles to submit to the national and regional governments a plan to cut emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter by restricting distances run by its vehicles or converting to cleaner vehicles; and
• Review the effectiveness of the revisions after five years.

Colorado researchers have shown that living close to busy roads can increase one's chances of contracting leukemia and other childhood cancers.

The food-poisoning scare spread further last week when Morinaga Milk Industry Co Ltd, Japan's third-largest dairy products supplier, closed a production line after some 20 schoolchildren fell ill after drinking the company's milk. Japan's 126 million consumers were nervous after tainted milk from Snow Brand Food Co Ltd's plant in Osaka, western Japan, resulted in 14,000 people being taken ill in one of the country's most widespread food poisoning cases this month. Victims have complained of diarrhoea and vomiting after drinking low-fat milk and the scandal prompted the company to halt operations at its 21 milk production plants.

The Health Ministry officials said the firm apparently recycled previously shipped and out-dated milk in late June. Workers opened returned low-fat milk cartons with their bare hands before pouring the contents into a tank to be combined with fresh milk used to make low-fat milk.

A survey by local government officials, published by Kyodo news agency, suggested significant negligence on the part of milk plant operators. The survey showed more than 10 percent of all 774 milk plants across Japan have hygiene and other problems.

Los Angeles could soon turn its legendary sunshine into power with an initiative that will boost solar energy use. This summer, the city's Dept of Water and Power (DWP) is kicking off a five-year, $78-million development program.

DWP will spend $40 million installing photovoltaic panels on city-owned buildings and another $38 million to subsidise installation on residential and commercial buildings.

According to ARB's scientists, widespread installation of the particulate traps, plus a new mandate for low-sulphur diesel fuel in California and strict requirements for new engines could shrink diesel particulate pollution in California by 85% during the next two decades.

If approved, the plan would be fully implemented by 2010, with the goal of making existing and new diesel engines in California run 10 times cleaner than they do now.

The California Trucking Association has endorsed the board's draft plan.