The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) is extending the deadline to apply for more than $1.1 million in funding for clean vehicle replacements.
Applications for the 2024 Mobile Sources Emissions Reductions Grant will now be accepted through Jan. 31, 2025.
That grant is available to fund projects that will reduce emissions from diesel engines, 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. This will reduce harmful air pollution from the transportation sector, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and greenhouse gases.
Projects in western North Carolina counties impacted by Hurricane Helene are encouraged to apply, and bonus points are available to applications for projects located in an area covered by a federal disaster declaration.
DAQ administers the Mobile Sources Emissions Reductions Grant each year to fund the replacement of older diesel vehicles with cleaner alternatives. Any business or organization in the public or private sector operating in North Carolina is eligible to apply.
Projects to replace diesel vehicles with electric vehicles also receive bonus points during the scoring process. Bonus points may also be awarded to projects in environmental justice communities or historically under-resourced counties, as well as to projects submitted by minority-owned or woman-owned businesses.
More information on how to apply, the full Request for Proposals guidance, and recordings of two informational webinars are available on DAQ’s website.
This 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 NOx and PM.
Separately, DAQ has $1.8 million available through the N.C. Volkswagen Settlement for the Community and Destination Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program. These grants will help install DC Fast and Level 2 EV charging stations across the state. Applications for this program are also due Jan. 31, 2025.