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U.S. EPA Awards More than Half a Million Dollars in Recovery Funding to the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition to Reduce Diesel Emissions and Create Jobs

Release Date: 08/21/2009
Contact Information: Laura Niles, (404) 562-8353, [email protected]

(Atlanta, Ga. – August 21, 2009) In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment for the people of East Tennessee, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $581,849 to the East Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition to reduce emissions from truck stop engine idling. This clean diesel project will create jobs while protecting East Tennessee’s air quality.

“This grant is a great investment in environmental protection and will provide long-term economic benefits for East Tennessee,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting Regional Administrator in Atlanta. “This funding will go a very long way in helping to bolster the economy and protect public health and the environment by creating green jobs that improve air quality.”

The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 4 alone received 98 grant applications requesting over $140 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The award announced today was chosen to both maximize economic impact and emissions reductions.

The project involves the installation of 50 truck electrified parking spaces to reduce nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter emissions caused by truck drivers who idle the heavy-duty long haul trucks while resting. The result will be an estimated reduction of 270 tons of nitrogen oxides and 7.8 tons of fine particulate matter over a 10-year period. The project is expected to create or retain 40 jobs.

In addition to helping to create and retain jobs, the clean diesel projects would reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days, and many other health impacts every year.

The Recovery Act allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. The Recovery Act also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.

In addition, under the Act’s State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to States for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 17, 2009 and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.

For information on EPA’s implementation of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in East Tennessee, visit: https://www.epa.gov/recovery

For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit: https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel