FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 22, 2013) – The Kentucky Division for Air Quality (DAQ) is seeking proposals for projects to help clean up Kentucky’s diesel fleets. Through this competitive funding opportunity, $90,000 is available for projects that focus on reducing diesel emissions from non-road and on-road, public and private diesel fleets.
Reduction in diesel emissions may be achieved through a number of strategies, including the installation of retrofit devices and idle reduction technologies on vehicles, engine repowers and vehicle replacement. Eligible vehicles include non-road equipment; municipal vehicles; marine engines; locomotives; and transit or school buses.
“Since 2008, Kentucky’s Clean Diesel Programs have provided funding to enable hundreds of heavy-duty vehicles, primarily school buses, to reduce their impact on the air we breathe,” said DAQ Acting Director Sean Alteri. “This year, we hope to expand the range of our projects to include more non-road engines and equipment, like those used in mining, forestry, or farming operations.”
There are approximately 20 million mobile-source diesel engines in operation nationwide, and each year these engines account for 300,000 tons of particulate matter emissions and more than 6 million tons of nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone. Diesel exhaust ranks among the air pollutants that EPA believes pose the greatest public health risks, as these pollutants contribute to a wide range of public health problems including asthma, lung cancer, and many serious cardiac and respiratory diseases.
Applicants located in poor air quality areas of the state and proposals that demonstrate the most cost-effective emission reduction strategies will be given priority in grant awards. The division is also prioritizing proposals for projects promoting the development of a Green Corridors program for interstate trucking and projects occurring within the non-road, non-construction sector.
The deadline to apply for funds is Nov. 15, 2013. To apply, visit the division’s website at air.ky.gov. For more information about the National Clean Diesel Campaign, visit epa.gov/cleandiesel.
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