The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is accepting grant applications to fund projects that will reduce emissions from diesel engines.
More than $1.1 million is available to fund eligible projects through the Mobile Sources Emissions Reductions grant program. These annual grants support a wide range of projects, including the replacement or repowering of school buses, nonroad construction and agricultural equipment, heavy-duty on-road vehicles and locomotives with new, clean equipment and vehicles. Clean vehicles emit less greenhouse gas, nitrogen oxide and particulate matter than old diesel engines.
Projects to replace diesel vehicles with electric vehicles receive bonus points during the scoring process. Bonus points are also available to projects in environmental justice communities or historically under-resourced counties, as well as to projects submitted by minority-owned or women-owned businesses.
Businesses and organizations from the public and private sector are eligible to apply. Applications must be submitted through DAQ’s online Grant Management System no later than 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 2, 2024, to be considered. To guarantee enough time to apply, new users to the Grants Management System should request online access before Jan. 15, 2024.
The grant Request for Proposals guidance, along with information on how to apply, are on the Division’s website.
To assist applicants with the process, DAQ will hold two informational webinars. The first, on Dec. 1, 2023, will review the Request for Proposals guidance, eligibility criteria, cost-shares and application requirements. The second webinar, on Jan. 10, will review the application process and how to use the DAQ Grants Management System. Registration for both webinars is required by signing up online.
The 2023 Mobile Sources Emissions Reductions grant program is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. The purpose of DERA funding is to support projects designed to achieve significant diesel emissions reductions. These include emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.
Awards from the 2022 Diesel Emission Reduction grant program provided $1.3 million for the replacement of 10 vehicles, reducing estimated emissions of NOx by 40 tons over their lifetimes and eliminating more than 2,600 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
For more information about the Mobile Sources Emissions Reductions grant program, please email daq.mscb.ncdaqgrants@deq.nc.gov.
If you need this information in Spanish or another language, please call 919-609-2189 or send an email to Guadalupe.Jimenez@deq.nc.gov.
Si necesita esta información en español por favor llame al 919-609-2189 o mande un correo a Guadalupe.Jimenez@deq.nc.gov.
Comunicado de Prensa (Español)