The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Air Quality has awarded $1,335,020 in grants for projects to reduce air pollution from diesel-powered mobile sources. The projects will result in 21 vehicle replacements, with estimated reductions of 8.2 tons of NOx and 285 tons of greenhouse gases per year.
Mobile sources are any type of vehicle that can pollute the air, including automobiles, trucks, buses, locomotives, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, construction equipment and lawnmowers.
The 2020 Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant awardees include six projects. The recipients and grant funds awarded are:
Applicant: City of Charlotte
Grant Award: $390,207
Project Summary: Replacement of a diesel transit bus with an all-electric bus. This project completely removes the emissions associated with an internal combustion engine, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 141 tons annually.
Applicant: City of Wilmington
Grant Award: $270,585
Project Summary: Replacement of a diesel refuse hauler with an all-electric refuse hauler and installation of charging infrastructure for the vehicle. This project completely removes the emissions associated with an internal combustion engine, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 36 tons annually.
Applicant: Town of Cary
Grant Award: $252,375
Project Summary: Replacement of a diesel refuse hauler with an all-electric refuse hauler and installation of charging infrastructure for the vehicle. This project completely removes the emissions associated with an internal combustion engine, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 21 tons annually.
Applicant: BMC East
Grant Award: $251,352
Project Summary: Replacement of seven short-haul diesel trucks and six diesel forklifts with new, cleaner technology in Cabarrus, Union and Wake Counties. These vehicles will reduce NOx emissions by approximately 4.5 tons and greenhouse gas emissions by 43 tons annually.
Applicant: Waste Management of Carolinas, Inc.
Grant Award: $160,000
Project Summary: Replacement of four diesel refuse trucks with four compressed natural gas refuse trucks in Forsyth County. These four new trucks will reduce NOx emissions by approximately 0.8 tons and greenhouse gas emissions by 39 tons annually.
Applicant: Sundown Seafood
Grant Award: $10,500
Project Summary: Replacement of a commercial fishing boat engine with a new, cleaner technology engine. This new technology will reduce NOx emissions by 2.5 tons annually.
DEQ is awarding the grants through the Division of Air Quality’s Mobile Source Emissions Reduction Grant program, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. The purpose of the DERA program is to support projects designed to achieve significant diesel emissions reductions. The DERA funds will be supplemented by North Carolina Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds.
For more information about the mobile sources diesel emissions reduction grant program, please visit the state Division of Air Quality’s website at: www.deq.nc.gov/DERA or via e-mail at daq.mscb.ncdaqgrants@ncdenr.gov.
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