EPA Offers Grants For Innovative Diesel Emissions Reduction Projects

Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the availability of $3 million in grant monies for projects aimed at reducing diesel emissions on the West Coast. The grant program is part of the highly successful West Coast Collaborative which has awarded more than $2.6 million in grants for 28 projects since 2004. This year the agency expects to award up to 12 grants ranging from $50,000 to $500,000.

EPA is seeking grant proposals for projects that demonstrate new, innovative or experimental approaches to reducing diesel emissions. Past grant projects have included electrifying truck stops and cruise ship terminals, converting restaurant waste oil to biodiesel fuel and a establishing a revolving loan fund to reduce locomotive emissions.

EPA will consider proposals from states, the District of Columbia, territories, federally recognized tribes and tribal consortia, international organizations, public and private universities and colleges, hospitals, laboratories and other public or private nonprofit institutions. Proposals are due on March 23, 2006. EPA will host a question and answer session via teleconference on February 6, 2006 at 1 p.m. PST, call-in number: 1-866-299-3188, passcode 2023439636#; and will attempt to answer any appropriate questions about the grant solicitation.

In 2005, under the National Clean Diesel Campaign, Smartway and the West Coast Collaborative, EPA awarded more than $2.2 million to West Coast states for diesel emissions reductions. Of this, more than $1.4 million went to projects in Idaho, Oregon and Washington.

• Idaho received $150,000 for two projects to retrofit agriculture equipment in the Treasure Valley and use cleaner fuels and retrofits for rock crushers.
• Oregon received nearly $1 million for five projects including cleaner fuels and retrofits on construction equipment being used in the Oregon Bridges Project; supporting the I-5 Idle Free Corridor Initiative that supports truck stop electrification and the use of auxiliary power units; and setting up a revolving loan fund to pay for emissions reductions and fuel savings in the rail sector.
• Washington received $305,000 for four projects to demonstrate biodiesel production and use for utility trucks along the U.S. - Canada border; reducing diesel emissions at the Port of Seattle; use direct seed/no till practices on eastern Washington farms to reduce operating costs and emissions.

Diesel exhaust contributes to elevated levels of smog and particulate matter pollution. The West Coast Collaborative, part of the National Clean Diesel Campaign, is a partnership between leaders from federal, state, and local governments, the private sector and environmental groups in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Canada and Mexico. This group has joined together and made reducing emissions from diesel engines a priority along the West Coast.

For more information about the West Coast Collaborative Grants and the application process you can go to the following website: http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/airpage.nsf/grants/wcc+rfp

SOURCE: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency