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U.S. EPA’s Region 4 Awards More than $1.1 Million in Recovery Funding to the American Lung Associations in AL, GA, KY, NC, SC TN, and FL to Reduce Diesel Emissions and Create Jobs

Release Date: 07/10/2009
Contact Information: Kara Belle, (404) 562-8322, belle.kara@epa.

(ATLANTA – July 10, 2009) In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment for people of the Southeast, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $1,118,142 to the American Lung Associations in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Florida to assist trucking companies in replacing older, more polluting vehicles and installing idle-reducing battery-powered air conditioners. This clean diesel project will create jobs while protecting the Southeast’s air quality.

“This grant is a great investment in environmental protection and will provide long-term economic benefits for the Southeast,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting Regional Administrator in Atlanta. “This funding will go a long way in helping to bolster the economy and protect public health and the environment by creating green jobs that improve air quality."

The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 4 alone received 98 grant applications requesting over $140 million to help fund clean diesel emissions projects. The award announced today was chosen to both maximize economic impact and emissions reductions.

This project will reduce diesel emissions from approximately 180 vehicles by replacing older trucks with vehicles using cleaner diesel technologies and installing battery-powered air conditioners in existing trucks to reduce engine idling. It is estimated that the project will result in emissions reductions of 764.9 tons of nitrogen oxides, 19.7 tons of particulate matter, 2.3 tons of hydrocarbons and 9.5 tons of carbon monoxide.

In addition to helping to create and retain jobs, clean diesel projects will reduce premature deaths, asthma attacks and other respiratory ailments, lost work days and many other health impacts every year.

The Recovery Act allotted the National Clean Diesel Campaign a total of $300 million, of which the National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program received $156 million to fund competitive grants across the nation. The Recovery Act also included $20 million for the National Clean Diesel Emerging Technology Program grants and $30 million for the SmartWay Clean Diesel Finance Program grants.

In addition, under the Recovery Act’s State Clean Diesel Grant program, a total of $88.2 million has been provided to states for clean diesel projects through a noncompetitive allocation process.

President Obama signed the ARRA on Feb. 17, 2009 and has directed that the Recovery Act be implemented with unprecedented transparency and accountability. To that end, the American people can see how every dollar is being invested at Recovery.gov.

For information on EPA’s implementation of the ARRA in Region 4, visit: https://www.epa.gov/region4/eparecovery/

For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit: https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel

For information about the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, visit: http://www.lungum.org