EPA Awards $3.7 Million to DFW Area to Reduce Diesel Emissions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $3.7 million in recovery funding to a combination of clean diesel projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program.

The EPA awarded the money to projects by the North Central Texas Council of Governments that will upgrade and replace diesel vehicles, fund verified SmartWay emission reducing technologies on long-haul trucks, and replace or repower heavy-duty diesel vehicles operating in North Texas.

These clean diesel projects will not only help to protect the region’s air quality, but also serve to create jobs. “This is part of the nationwide clean energy transition that is clearing the air and creating jobs across America,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Communities using innovative measures to cut harmful diesel emissions are cutting costs, creating jobs, and keeping people healthy.”

Reducing emissions from diesel engines is an important air quality challenge. The EPA established the National Clean Diesel Campaign (NCDC) to promote diesel emission reduction strategies. NCDC includes regulatory programs to address new diesel engines as well as innovative programs to address the millions of diesel engines already in use. NCDC was allotted $300 million by the ARRA to support clean diesel activities. The Recovery Act included $156 million for the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program, $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.

For more information, please visit the EPA and North Central Texas Council of Governments websites. You can also contact Meredith Armstrong at marmstrong@dallaschamber.org.

1. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). National Clean Diesel Campaign. Retrieved July 14, 2009, from http://www.epa.gov/diesel/.
2. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2009, June 12). U.S. EPA’s Region 6 Awards $3.7 million in Recovery Funding to Dallas-Fort Worth Area to Reduce Diesel Emissions and Create Jobs, [Press Release]. Retrieved from http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/6424ac1caa800aab85257359003f5337/
168171382683e7e9852575d3005e6daa!OpenDocument.