EPA Awards $16.1 Million In Recovery Act Funds To Projects In Pennsylvania, Virginia, And Maryland To Reduce Diesel Emissions

Published: 15-Jul-2009

By: Staff Writer Staff Writer Staff Writer

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mid-Atlantic regional office has awarded over $16.1 million in recovery act funds to projects in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland to reduce diesel emissions, protect human health and the environment. These clean diesel projects will create jobs while protecting air quality. The recovery act also included $20 million for National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.

“We are proud of the diverse scope of the projects and many partners that we are able to support with $16.1 million in diesel grant funds to help reduce harmful diesel emissions. Each one of these projects is important because of its technology, geography, and the sector it addresses,” said William C. Early, acting regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic region.

The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA’s mid-Atlantic region received 40 grant applications requesting $159 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The awards announced were chosen to both maximize economic impact and emissions reductions.

Recovery Act funds will go towards the following projects:

2009 Mid-Atlantic Diesel Reduction Campaign: A $4.3 million grant to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Air Management Association (MARAMA) will fund a wide range of diesel projects in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, including replacing transit buses and off-road engines, retrofitting dump trucks, replacing cement trucks and repowering boats.

Allegheny County Diesel Project: A $3.49 million grant to Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Health Department will fund the replacement of transit buses with diesel hybrids and repowering others; retrofitting dump trucks with diesel particulate filters; repowering switch locomotive; repowering engines and upgrading engines and adding diesel particulate filters.

Mother Slug Locomotive Repower: A $1.5 million grant to Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will fund re-powering pre-1973 locomotives with a four-axle locomotive powered with an engine approaching Tier 3 emission standards (Mother) and a four-axle platform consisting of four traction motors without an engine (Slug).

Maryland School Bus Grant Program: A $1 million grant to Maryland Department of the Environment will fund school bus retrofits.

Port of Baltimore Clean Diesel: A $3.5 million grant to the Maryland Port Administration and Maryland Environmental Service will fund retrofitting, repowering and replacing cargo handling equipment, drayage trucks, locomotives and harbor craft operating at the Port of Baltimore.

Chesapeake Bay Marine Engine Repower: A $1.3 million grant to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation will fund retrofitting for two education vessels, seven watermen workboats, and one tug boats operating out of Maryland and Virginia in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Virginia Diesel Emissions Reduction Initiative: A $1 million grant to Virginia Clean Cities to will fund retrofitting transit buses with diesel particulate filters in Hampton Roads; replacing a refuse vehicle with a hybrid version in Chesterfield County; replacing school buses with propane powered school buses at Spotsylvania Public Schools; and replacing refuse, dump, and fire trucks, and ambulances in the City of Chesapeake.

In addition to helping to create and retain jobs, the clean diesel projects would reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other adverse health impacts every year.

The recovery act allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation.

In addition, under the Act’s State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to States for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.

US President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009 and has directed that the recovery act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability.

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