Funds will go to purchase healthier school buses and retrofit engines to reduce emissions
(Seattle-March 24, 2015) The E.P.A. is announcing over $371,000 in grant funds for Oregon to reduce harmful air pollutants from diesel engines. The funds will be used to support the purchase of school buses that reduce diesel pollution and to reduce exhaust generated by heavy duty diesel-powered trucks that operate in communities.
"These plans provide advanced diesel technology that supports community health in Oregon," said Dennis McLerran, Regional Administrator for E.P.A. Region 10. "Funding through the Diesel Emission Reduction Act provides an important opportunity to leverage public and private backing for cleaner trucks, buses, boats and heavy equipment."
The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality is receiving over $126,000 to support the purchase of 4 school buses that reduce diesel pollution. In addition, over $245,000 will go to Beyond Toxics, a local organization that will use the funds to replace a heavy duty diesel powered truck owned by Apex Disposal Services, which operates in environmental justice neighborhoods. The plan will also result in the installation of advanced exhaust controls on 7 heavy duty trucks owned and operated by City of Roses Disposal and Recycling Services. These trucks are used in the collection and transport of refuse and construction debris in the Portland and Eugene metropolitan areas.
Of the $8 million awarded nationally, E.P.A. Regions nine and ten awarded $2.5 million through the West Coast Collaborative, a partnership of public and private entities in the western states. The $2.5 million will fund 8 plans that include school buses, trucks and agricultural equipment that will operate cleaner thru more advanced diesel technology as well as natural gas and electric power alternatives.
Older diesel engines emit significant amounts of air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NO
X) and particulate matter (PM). These pollutants are linked to a range of serious health problems including asthma, lung and heart disease, other respiratory ailments, and even premature death. Older diesel engines also emit significant amounts of black carbon which has been linked to climate change. New diesel and alternative fuel technology can reduce diesel pollution by in excess of 90 percent.
Since the start of the DERA plan in 2008, E.P.A. has awarded over 700 grants across the US in 600 communities. Many of these plans fund cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart, and lung disease. The DERA plan is set to expire in 2016.
For more information about the West Coast Collaborative and E.P.A. region nine and ten projects, visit
www.westcoastcollaborative.org. For more information about the plans awarded nationally, visit
www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/prgnational.htm.
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