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Multnomah County and the city of Portland are moving to limit diesel emissions at public projects.

Older diesel engines can emit particulate matter and nitrous oxides at high rates. Portland-area residents have the highest exposure to toxic air in the state, and suffer cancer risk and respiratory hazards at well above national averages, according to a news release.

The county’s Board of Commissioners and the City Council passed parallel resolutions Sept. 20 committing the local governments to establish a Clean Air Construction Procurement Standard. The rule would require equipment used on city and county construction projects to dramatically reduce emissions from older diesel engines.

City and county staff will submit final procurement policies by the end of the year, according to the news release.

The policy applies to non-road diesel equipment with 100 horsepower or more, and road-going dump and cement trucks. It will be phased in to allow contractors time to adjust. Some exemptions will be available in cases involving safety reasons, emergency or economic hardship, according to the joint news release.

The city and county plan to ask the Oregon Legislature to set aside a portion of the Volkswagen settlement to help disadvantaged, minority-owned and women-owned businesses upgrade their equipment to comply with the standard.

In 2011, the city and county started a pilot program to reduce construction emissions. Transitions to newer, cleaner equipment proved slow, in part because of the durability of diesel equipment, according to the news release.