California Air Resources Board voted in favor of a new diesel emissions rule that will protect jobs and safeguard air quality.

The National Contractors Group that negotiated the rules said the final version will give struggling construction firms more time to comply than the original version, while delivering lower emissions.

The revised rule approved by CARB delays its emissions standards for off-road diesel equipment until 2014. The revised rule also gives contractors credit for the efforts they already made to reduce emissions. However, the final rule still lowers emissions below the levels the Board originally sought to achieve when it first proposed its off-road diesel emissions rule in 2007.