$25 million in Recovery Act Funding to California Communities to Reduce Diesel Emissions and Create Jobs

 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’s Pacific Southwest Region alone received over 100 grant applications requesting $500 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The awards announced today were chosen to both maximize economic impact and emissions reductions.

Recovery Act funds will go towards the following projects:

Caltrans “Retrofit Construction Equipment”

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) was selected for $951,431 in funding to install diesel particulate filters on 46 Caltrans-owned construction equipment, including crawler tractors, excavators, forklifts, graders, rollers, rubber tire loaders, surfacing equipment, sweepers, scrubbers, tractors, loaders, and backhoes. A large proportion of this equipment will be located in the Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties, as well as the Bay Area.

CARB “South Coast New Switch Locomotives”

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) was selected for $8,888,888 in funding to repower eight switch yard locomotives that operate with new Tier 3 engines. The affected locomotives are owned by Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway and operate in the Southern California region.

Port of Los Angeles “Equipment and Vessels”

The City of Los Angeles Harbor Department, also known as Port of Los Angeles, was selected for $1,991,750 in funding to replace, repower, and/or retrofit a total of 27 pieces of equipment, including harbor craft, currently in operation at the port. The emission reductions achieved from this project will improve air quality and health in the surrounding areas.

Port of Long Beach “Cargo Handling Equipment”

The Port of Long Beach Diesel Emissions Reduction Project was selected for $4,008,250 in funding to implement a large-scale diesel emission reduction project involving equipment replacements, engine repowers, and/or engine retrofits for 112 pieces of cargo handling equipment including rubber-tired gantry cranes, and two harbor craft currently in operation at the port.

San Diego APCD “Lower-Emission School Buses”

The San Diego County Air Pollution Control District (APCD) was selected for $1,563,652 in funding to retrofit, replace, and repower 125 high-polluting school buses with newer, cleaner engines and filters. This project will reduce major diesel emissions from school buses in San Diego County, in turn improving the health of children who ride these buses.

San Joaquin Valley Unified APCD “School Bus Engine Retrofits”

The San Joaquin Valley Unified APCD was selected for $4 million in funding to install 190 diesel particulate filters on 2001 model year and newer diesel school buses. Through diesel emission reductions, the project is expected to protect the health of children who ride these buses daily. The SJVUAPCD plans to leverage funds with Proposition 1B Lower Emission School Bus Program funds.

San Joaquin Valley Unified APCD “Agricultural Equipment Engines”

The San Joaquin Valley Unified APCD was selected for $2 million in funding to repower 30 agricultural off-road equipment vehicles with new engines that meet or exceed EPA’s Tier 3 emission standards for non-road diesel engines.

Bay Area AQMD “Trucks at Port of Oakland”

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (AQMD) was selected for $2 million in funding to retrofit 81 trucks with Diesel Particulate Filters and replace 22 dirty, old trucks with cleaner, newer ones that operate at and around the Port of Oakland.In addition to helping create and retain jobs, the clean diesel projects would help to 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 California, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region09/eparecovery/cleandiesel.html

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

For information about the funding recipients, visit: California Department of Transportation, http://www.dot.ca.gov/; California Air Resources Board, http://www.arb.ca.gov/homepage.htm; Port of Los Angeles, visit: http://www.portoflosangeles.org/; Port of Long Beach, visit: http://www.polb.com; San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, visit: http://www.sdapcd.org; San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, http://www.valleyair.org/; Bay Area Air Quality Management District, http://www.baaqmd.gov/.

EPA Helps Put America Back to Work Protecting Human Health and Cleaning Up the Environment

 (New York, N.Y)  Last Friday the EPA announced In a move that will boost the economy, create new jobs, build the foundation for long-term economic strength, and protect human health and the environment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a national competition for $156 million in funding to jumpstart clean diesel projects through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The projects will create jobs and reduce harmful diesel pollution. Nearly $18.5 million of this funding is slated for projects in EPA Region 2, which covers New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven federally recognized Indian Nations. EPA is encouraging organizations and government entities to apply for the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program.  Applications are due by April 28, 2009.

 ”This Recovery Act funding for projects to control diesel pollution will go a long way toward creating jobs, while significantly reducing pollution,” said George Pavlou, Acting Regional Administrator. “This is proof positive that a strong economic and environmental future not only can, but does go hand-in-hand.”

 The Recovery Act will enable investments of $30 million in funding for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program. This funding will support the creation of national, state or local innovative clean diesel financing programs.  Additionally, $20 million has been slated under the Recovery Act for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program. This funding will support the use, development and commercialization of emerging technologies that reduce emissions from diesel engines.

 The projects may foster a variety of emissions reduction solutions such as add-on emission control retrofit and idle reduction technologies, cleaner fuel use, engine repowering and upgrades, and vehicle or equipment replacement.  All projects must provide benefits to air quality in the geographic areas that include New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and tribal lands.

The Recovery Act funding supports ongoing efforts by EPA to support projects that significantly reduce tons of diesel pollution produced, particularly from fleets operating in areas designated by the EPA Administrator as having poor air quality. These efforts reduce pollution from heavy duty diesel vehicles and equipment currently used on or off the road for construction or moving or transporting people and goods. EPA supports a range of diesel reduction projects focused on buses, trucks, ships and locomotives; other projects could target equipment used in applications such as construction, cargo-handling, farming, and mining.

EPA is accepting applications for funding from regional, state, local or tribal agencies or port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality.  Applications will also be accepted from nonprofit organizations or institutions that represent or provide pollution reduction or educational services to people or organizations that own or operate diesel fleets or that have, as their principal purpose, the promotion of transportation or air quality.  School districts, municipalities, metropolitan planning organizations, cities and counties are all eligible, provided that they fall within the definition above. ARRA gives precedence to projects that can be started and completed expeditiously.

 Diesel engines emit harmful fine particles, nitrogen oxides, greenhouse gases, and toxic air pollutants. These emissions contribute to unhealthy levels of air pollution, particularly in the Northeast, where millions of residents are affected.  Fine particles can lodge deep into the lungs, can trigger asthma attacks and, over time, cause permanent damage to the lungs. Nitrogen oxides contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, or smog, the choking brown haze that settles over many areas on the hottest summer days.

 President Obama 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 http://www.recovery.gov/. 

 Interested applicants, who have additional questions about the regional competition, may contact EPA’s Matt Laurita, (212) 637-3895, laurita.matthew@epa.gov. Applicants may submit written questions via email to cleandiesel@epa.gov, or attend an information call-in session, listed at: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/eparecovery/prognational.htm#rfa.

 To learn more about the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program, visit: http://epa.gov/otaq/eparecovery/progfinance.htm

 To learn more about the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program, visit: http://epa.gov/otaq/eparecovery/progemerge.htm

Contact: (Media Only) Elias Rodriguez, (212) 637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov