BOSTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will be awarding nearly $5.4 million in grants and financing to communities and organizations in the Northeast that are working to reduce diesel emissions and improve public health, the agency said.
The Northeast Diesel Collaborative’s 2008 Emissions Reduction Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued yesterday by the EPA’s Region 1 (New England) and Region 2 offices.
The RFP invites applications from regional, state and local governments; port authorities; federally recognized tribes; environmental organizations; hospitals, colleges and universities; and others interested in establishing innovative projects to reduce diesel emissions in their communities.
Grants are available for clean diesel projects in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, the territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Those projects can involve cleaner fuels, idle reduction or retrofit technology for a range of diesel engines – including school and transit buses, port equipment and construction vehicles.
“Diesel engines contribute significantly to air pollution, especially in urban areas,” the EPA said in a statement. “The fine particles in diesel exhaust pose serious health risks, including aggravated asthma and other respiratory symptoms.
“Children are especially vulnerable to these effects,” the agency said. “The Northeast has some of the highest asthma rates in the nation, including a childhood asthma rate above 10 percent in all six New England states.”
The EPA will host two question and answer sessions via teleconference – from 10 a.m. to noon on April 10, and from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on May 7 – to answer questions and provide additional information about the funding. The call-in number for both sessions is: 1 (866) 299-3188. Enter Conference Code: 212 637 3745#.
“Reducing emissions from diesel engines is one of the most important air quality challenges facing New England,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator for the EPA’s New England office. “Fleet by fleet, we are making the black puff of diesel smoke from diesel vehicles a thing of the past.”
The Northeast Diesel Collaborative (NEDC) is a partnership of public and private organizations working to improve air quality by taking action to reduce diesel pollution. It was established in 2005 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Regions 1 (New England) and Region 2; the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM); and the states and territories of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Puerto Rico joined the NEDC in 2007. For more information, including the 2008 NEDC Emissions Reduction RFP, visit www.northeastdiesel.org.
Information about clean diesel projects in New England is available from the EPA’s Boston office at www.epa.gov/region1.
