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U.S. EPA offers $3 million in grants for innovative diesel emissions reduction projects

Release Date: 01/24/2006
Contact Information: Lisa Fasano, 415-947-4307 or Peter Murchie, 503-326-6554

(1/24/06) SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 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.

The EPA is seeking grant proposals for projects benefitting the West Coast 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.

“This is another opportunity for all the stakeholders to further develop and implement cleaner technologies,” said Wayne Nastri, the EPA's regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest region. “This next round of EPA funding will continue to stimulate innovation and collaboration, accelerating the pace toward cleaner air.”

The 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 on the West Coast. Of this nearly $800,000 went to projects in California and Hawaii. California received $650,000 for eight projects that will reduce diesel emissions by installing emission control devices on construction equipment; measuring the effectiveness of cleaner biodiesel in agricultural equipment; retrofitting an existing short line locomotive to operate primarily on liquefied natural gas (LNG); utilizing conventional stationary source emission control equipment to treat emissions from area mobile sources; installing idle reduction technology on an I_5 corridor trucking fleet; providing docked cruise liners with incentives for cleaner fuels while at port; retrofitting port equipment with LNG engines; and testing the efficiency of diesel agricultural pumps. Hawaii received $135,000 for replacement of older, dirty diesel construction equipment engines with newer, cleaner engines to reduce air pollution on O’ahu and Kaua’i.

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, Hawai’i, Canada and Mexico. This group has joined together and made reducing emissions from diesel engines a priority along the West Coast.

For additional general information about this Request for Proposals contact:

Peter Murchie (Region 10)
(206) 890_0196

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

For more information about the West Coast Collaborative you can go to
the following website: http://www.westcoastcollaborative.org