Ironically, even without all the emissions equipment, diesels are better for the environment than gas. Diesels emit less CO and CO2 than gas engines do which are the gases that are harmful to the environment. Diesels have more PM and NOx which are harmful to human health in large populated areas. US EPA emissions laws are less stringent on CO and CO2 emitted by gas engines, but are considerably more strict on NOx compared to other standards like the EU. To say the US EPA policies are bias against diesels and more lenient against gasoline emissions even though they harm the environment more is a gross understatement.