The Bush administration's nominee to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Governor of Utah Mike Leavitt, has been urged to implement federal rules regarding diesel emissions by spring 2004.

As co-chairman of the Western regional Air Partnership, Mr Leavitt himself called on the EPA early this year to adopt the regulations to clean up diesel heavy equipment and other non-road diesel engines.

Now, a coalition of environmental and public health groups are calling on him to follow through on his earlier stand, and implement the rules if he is approved as the EPA's head by the Senate.

Final rules will be released in April next year, the EPA has said, but many of their supporters are concerned that the federal government will give in to hostile industry pressure, especially following the departure of the EPA's administrator Christine Todd Whitman, who had supported the regulations.

Executive director of the Clean Air Trust Frank O'Donnell said 'cleaning up diesel heavy equipment and fuel is a no-brainer. This is a huge source of pollution, but we have the tools to clean it up as long as the EPA doesn't bow to special interests.'

The proposal, which was released in May, covers the fuel and engines used to power diesel construction, farm, surface mining and industrial equipment.