EPA Grants in Connecticut Will Reduce Air Pollution from Diesel Vehicles
STAMFORD, Conn. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the agency's award of a $546,610 grant to the City of Stamford, Connecticut that will help the city replace seven diesel-powered garbage trucks with new trucks that meet 2019 EPA emissions standards. This grant was made available under a competitive national grant program administered by EPA with funding authorized by Congress under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).
In addition to the DERA competitive program, EPA has allocated, under the DERA State Clean Diesel Grant Program, $479,775 to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CTDEEP) for diesel emissions reduction efforts. CTDEEP will award these funds to various communities to fund diesel vehicle replacement projects, similar to the one in Stamford.
"These grants mean cleaner air for communities across Connecticut through pollution reductions from vehicles like the City of Stamford's municipal fleet of garbage trucks," said EPA New England Regional Administrator Dennis Deziel. "It's a priority for EPA to help our municipal partners realize cleaner air in their communities and these diesel grants have lasting pollution reductions that will make a difference for many years."
"The transportation sector contributes nearly 40% of greenhouse gas emissions statewide and nearly two-thirds of the emissions that cause smog, a leading cause of significant health issues including asthma and other respiratory disease. Reducing these kinds of emissions is necessary to meet and exceed stringent federal requirements on air quality and ensure the health and safety of Connecticut's families," said Connecticut DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes. "This grant helps Stamford and communities across the state upgrade diesel-fuel fleets with cleaner burning vehicles and that's one more step toward helping us meet our commitment to a healthier, cleaner environment in Connecticut."
"This grant provides Stamford the opportunity to replace aging infrastructure and commit to a greener future for our city," said Stamford Mayor David Martin. "These trucks have needed to be replaced for some time and I thank the EPA for recognizing Stamford's potential to take advantage of this grant and provide a cleaner environment for residents today, and for our community's future generations."
Older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants including nitrogen oxide (NOx) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which contribute to serious public health problems, including asthma, lung cancer and various other cardiac and respiratory diseases. DERA grants have funded projects that provided immediate health and environmental benefits. From fiscal years 2008 to 2016, EPA has awarded more than $629 million to retrofit or replace more than 67,300 engines in vehicles, vessels, locomotives or other pieces of equipment. EPA estimates that these projects will reduce emissions by 472,700 tons of NOx and 15,490 tons of PM2.5 over the lifetime of the affected engines.
Since the start of the DERA program in 2008, EPA has provided more than $2.8 million to fund projects across the state of Connecticut.
DERA grant awards will cover between 25% to 45% of project costs, depending on type of technology funded. Grant recipients are required to provide a cost-share to cover remaining costs needed to complete the projects. EPA is providing approximately $40 million in competitive grant funds awarded nationwide for clean diesel projects in 2019.
October 1, 2019 marks the beginning of EPA's Children's Health Month as protecting children's health is one of EPA's most important responsibilities. In 1995, EPA began to focus explicitly on the unique vulnerabilities and needs of children, including pregnant women, with respect to the air they breathe, the water they drink, and exposures to chemicals in places where they live, learn and play. Clean diesel funding through DERA has supported nearly 25,000 cleaner buses across the country for America's schoolchildren.
For more information on DERA grants and EPA's Clean Diesel Program, visit https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.