(SEATTLE) January 11, 2017 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $3,579,013 in Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) funding to reduce emissions from the most polluting diesel sources in impacted communities in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. DERA funding was awarded to public and private partners from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington to retrofit and replace old, polluting diesel vehicles and equipment, including school buses, trucks, agriculture and port equipment, and generators.
"By promoting clean diesel technologies, we can improve air quality to protect community health and support green jobs," said Dennis McLerran, Regional Administrator for EPA's Pacific Northwest Office. "Public-private partnerships like the West Coast Collaborative are leading the way to reduce harmful diesel emissions and support local economic development."
The 2016 DERA grants funded the following projects in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska:
Alaska Energy Authority: Alaska Energy Authority was awarded $286,241 in DERA grant funding to replace power generating diesel engines with newer, cleaner and more fuel efficient engines. This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with up to $310,094 of state matching funds.
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality: Idaho DEQ was awarded $246,807 in DERA grant funding to install diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters on up to 14 construction, agricultural, and city/county vehicles.
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality: Idaho DEQ was awarded $800,000 in DERA grant funding to retrofit 25 construction, city and county vehicles with diesel particulate filters, retrofit 19 construction, city and county vehicles with diesel oxidation catalysts, and replace 4 diesel school buses. This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with $277,640 in matching funds from Idaho DEQ and participating fleets.
Columbia Corridor Association: Columbia Corridor Association was awarded $572,522 in DERA grant funding to replace 10 heavy-duty on-road diesel trucks, and to electrify 43 parking spaces in and around Portland, Oregon. This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with $815,417 in matching funds from participating fleets.
Metropolitan Contractor Improvement Project: MCIP was awarded $237,673 in DERA grant funding to replace four heavy-duty on-road diesel trucks and two pieces of construction equipment, repower one diesel excavator, and retrofit one heavy-duty diesel truck with a diesel particulate filter in and around Portland, Oregon. This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with $559,302 in matching funds from participating fleets.
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality: Oregon DEQ was awarded $307,862 in DERA grant funding to replace 10 heavy-duty diesel school buses operated in areas of high and medium population density in Oregon. This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with $205,241 in matching state funds and $825,000 in additional matching funds.
Puget Sound Clean Air Agency: Puget Sound Clean Air Agency was awarded $800,000 in DERA grant funding to replace at least 29 older 1994-2006 heavy-duty diesel dray trucks with trucks that are powered by 2011 or newer diesel engines (or alternative-fueled trucks with equivalent emissions). This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with $800,000 in matching funds from participating fleets.
Washington Department of Ecology: Ecology was awarded $327,908 in DERA grant funding to retrofit 11 heavy-duty diesel school buses with idle reduction technologies, replace 13 dray trucks, and replace one yard truck in Washington. This project will be implemented with DERA grant funds combined with $220,543 in matching state funds and $529,000 in additional matching funds.
The DERA program is administered by EPA's West Coast Collaborative, a clean air partnership comprised of the Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest Regions, which leverages public and private funds to reduce emissions from the most polluting diesel sources in impacted communities. Today's selected projects fund cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart, and lung disease.
This funding is part of U.S. EPA's DERA fiscal year 2016 allocation which include engine replacements, idle reduction and retrofit technologies to clean up a variety of older diesel engines. Since 2008, the DERA program has awarded more than 700 grants across the country in 600 communities. These projects have reduced emissions from more than 60,000 engines. Reducing particulate matter emissions has important public health and air quality benefits and reduces black carbon.
To learn more about all of this year's West Coast Collaborative DERA projects, including those awarded in the Pacific Southwest, please visit: http://www.westcoastcollaborative.org.
For more information about EPA's National Clean Diesel campaign and the awarded DERA projects nationally, visit www.epa.govhttps://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.
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