News Releases from Region 05

EPA Awards $1 million to Metro Detroit for Diesel Pollution Reduction

(CHICAGO) February 14, 2018 — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a Detroit-area organization $1 million to reduce harmful diesel emissions from heavy-duty trucks and city-owned utility equipment that operate in Metro Detroit. Receiving the EPA grant is Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, or SDEV, a nonprofit that works with residents, community organizations, government agencies, schools, businesses, and industries on environmental issues.

“These projects will help people breathe cleaner air,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Cathy Stepp. “Clean diesel grants also spur innovation and support jobs by helping to replace older, dirtier engines with newer, cleaner ones.”

“We’re proud that this project will deliver continued positive impact on the southwest Detroit community and metro region,” said SDEV Executive Director Kathy Stott. “SDEV and local business partners have eliminated over 37,500 tons of diesel pollution since we launched our Clean Diesel program in 2009. We are committed to providing direct-impact projects to fight air pollution.”

Through EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act program, SDEV will use the grant funds to implement projects with several partners, each of which has committed to accelerate their replacement of pre-2007 diesel trucks. Project collaborators are providing matching funds of $2.5 million for a total project cost of $3.5 million. The fleets involved include private short-haul vehicles in the goods movement sector, city of Detroit dump trucks used to carry refuse and materials, and trucks from the nonprofit group Forgotten Harvest that are used to reduce food waste.

Private fleet partners in the project include: Alco Transportation, Red Cap Transport, T&L Transport, Gemini Transport, and Causley Trucking, which is a U.S. Postal Service contractor that transports mail. Targeted older vehicles will be replaced with ones that meet current emissions standards. These projects will cut the amount of nitrogen oxide, particulate matter (soot), hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the air.

EPA provides grants under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act to protect human health and improve air quality by reducing emissions from diesel engines. 

For more information on the EPA’s Clean Diesel program go to www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.

For more information on the Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative go to www.epa.gov/midwestcleandiesel.