22-10-2018

U.S. EPA awards grants to reduce harmful diesel emissions in California

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today awarded $9.6 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grants to public and private partners in California. EPA’s Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator, Mike Stoker, made the announcement today at an event with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in Fresno, Calif. The funds will be used to retrofit and replace old, polluting diesel vehicles and equipment, including school buses, heavy-duty trucks, tractors and port equipment.

“EPA is committed to improving air quality and advancing cleaner technologies to improve the quality of life for residents throughout California,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “Through these DERA grants, along with our public and private project partners, we continue our progress toward healthier communities.”

The DERA program is administered by the EPA's West Coast Collaborative, a partnership comprised of EPA’s Pacific Southwest and Pacific Northwest Regions, which leverages public and private funds to reduce emissions from the most polluting diesel sources.

The 2018 DERA grants awarded to California will fund the following projects:

California Air Resources Board (CARB) received $435,149 to replace 5 heavy-duty school buses with all-electric alternatives throughout California. The funds will be combined with $379,516 in matching funds from CARB, and $1,280,000 in cost-shared funds from participating fleets.

Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD) in San Diego received $1,000,000 to replace five school buses with zero emission battery-electric buses. The funds will be combined with $267,911 in cost-shared funds from CVUSD, and $1,100,000 from CARB.

City of Los Angeles Harbor Department (LAHD), Port of Los Angeles received $279,750 to replace four older Tier 2 diesel engines on two tugboats operating in San Pedro Bay, with cleaner Tier 4 engines. The project will also replace one diesel sweeper at the Port of Los Angeles with two cleaner Tier 4 engines. The funds will be combined with $544,250 in matching funds from LAHD and partners. 

Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) received $1,160,311 to replace six diesel powered material handlers at the Port of Richmond with five cleaner Tier 4 diesel material handlers and one zero-emission electric handler. The project will also replace a material handler operating at a metal recycling facility in Hayward. The funds will be combined with $2,798,479 in matching funds from BAAQMD and partners.

Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) received $674,865 to replace three diesel-powered shuttle buses with zero-emission, battery-electric buses. The funds will be combined with $824,835 in cost-shared funds from United Airlines.

South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) received a total of $2,321,023 for two projects. SCAQMD received $719,500 to replace an older 2007 Tier 2 locomotive at the Port of Long Beach with a new Tier 4 diesel locomotive. The older Tier 2 unit will then displace an even older Tier 0 locomotive within the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District. The funds will be combined with $2,158,500 in matching funds from SCAQMD.

SCAQMD also received $1,601,523 to replace 16 diesel trucks with newer compressed natural gas engines certified to meet CARB’s optional low oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emission standard. The funds will be combined with $1,600,000 in cost-shared funds from participating fleets.

San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District (SJVUAPCD) received a total of $3,778,850 for two projects. SJVUAPCD received $2,200,000 to replace 105 heavy-duty diesel trucks in the San Joaquin Valley. These new trucks will be powered by 2018 or newer model year engines that meet or exceed EPA’s emissions standards. The funds will be combined with $11,563,664 in matching funds from the SJVUAPCD and participating trucking fleets.

SJVUAPCD also received $1,578,850 to replace 100 diesel-powered agricultural tractors operating in the San Joaquin Valley with new off-road agricultural equipment with a newer Tier 4 or cleaner engines. These cleaner engines will be used by various famers throughout the San Joaquin Valley as part of daily agricultural operations. The funds will be combined with $8,387,640 in matching funds from the SJVUAPCD and participating fleets.

Overall, these projects will bring 248 cleaner diesel or electric engines to economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart, and lung disease. In total these projects will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides by almost 1,000 tons and fine particulate matter by 82 tons over the lifetime of the engines.