Today, the US. Environmental Protection Agency (the "EPA") Region 5 has awarded millions of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ("ARRA") dollars to the Wisconsin Department of Commerce and the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest for the reduction of diesel emissions.  The funds are provided under the ARRA National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program under  which EPA Region 5 had received 81 grant applications requesting more than $211 million to help fund clean diesel emission projects.  

To the American Lung Association, EPA Region 5 awarded $3.7 million for on-road and non-road diesel projects that will reduce diesel emissions for 502 vehicles in 22 public and private fleets, including school buses, long-haul trucks, short-haul trucks, construction vehicles and municipal vehicles.  Technologies include repowers (engine replacement with cleaner engines), retrofits, and idle reduction.  For information on the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, visit www.lungum.org.

To the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, EPA Region 5 awarded $2 million to help heavy-duty diesel truck owners reduce idling time.  Using the Wisconsin Department of Commerce’s Diesel Truck Idling Reduction Grant Program as a platform, this funding will help heavy-duty diesel truck owners purchase and install EPA-verified idle-reduction technologies.  Technologies include auxiliary power units and generator sets, battery air conditioning systems, thermal storage systems, and fuel-operated heaters.  At least 444 trucks will be impacted.  For more information about the Wisconsin Department of Commerce program, visit commerce.wi.gov/bd/BD-CA-Diesel-Grant-Program.html.

 

ARRA alloted the National Clean Diesel Campaign a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation.  ARRA also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants. For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel