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U.S. EPA Expedites Economic Recovery Funding to Reduce Diesel Emissions, Create Jobs in North Carolina

Release Date: 07/06/2009
Contact Information: Kara Belle, (404) 562-8322, belle.kara@epa.gov

(ATLANTA – July 6, 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 State of North Carolina, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $509,000 to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction to retrofit school buses with emission reduction devices and to replace older buses with new, cleaner buses in several counties in North Carolina. This clean diesel project will create jobs while protecting North Carolina’s air quality.

“This grant is a great investment in environmental protection and will provide long-term economic benefits for North Carolina,” said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting 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.”

To speed distribution of funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act), EPA is funding proposals from last year’s National Clean Diesel Campaign grant competition. The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction will use the $509,000 in Recovery Act funds to retrofit 121 school buses with diesel control devices having a particulate removal efficiency of 25% or greater and to retire six buses and replace them with buses having newer, cleaner 2010 engines in Wilson, Edgecombe, Pitt and Nash counties in North Carolina. The project is anticipated to reduce total life time emissions from these buses by 43.5 tons.

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

EPA will award the remaining Recovery Act clean diesel grants in the coming months.

President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 on February 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 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 in North Carolina, visit: https://www.epa.gov/recovery

For information about EPA’s clean diesel initiatives, visit: https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
For information about North Carolina Public Schools, visit: http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/