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U.S. EPA awards $700,000 in Recovery Act Funding to Montana Department of Environmental Quality to reduce diesel emissions and create jobs

Release Date: 06/26/2009
Contact Information: Rebecca Russo, EPA, 303-312-6757, russo.rebecca@epa.gov; Brian Spangler, MT DEQ, 406-841-5250; Wendy Chipp, EPA, 303-312-6603, Chipp.wendy@epa.gov

(Denver, Colo. – June 26, 2009) In a move that stands to create jobs, boost local economies, reduce diesel emissions and protect human health and the environment for the people of Montana, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $700,000 to repower four non-road coal hauling and dump truck engines in the State of Montana. This clean diesel project will create jobs while protecting Montana’s air quality.

"This Recovery Act project is part of an ongoing effort to install clean diesel technologies for our nation’s school buses, construction and farm equipment, long-haul trucks and other diesel vehicles," said EPA Acting Regional Administrator, Carol Rushin. "These repowered coal hauling and dump truck engines will extend the progress we are making in Montana by significantly reducing pollution from diesel exhaust."

The funds are provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) of 2009 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Under this funding competition, EPA Region 8 alone received 37 grant applications requesting more than $56 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 repower four non-road coal hauling and dump truck engines owned by Decker Coal Company in the state of Montana. The Recovery Act funding will pay for 75 percent of the cost of the engines repowers, with Decker Coal Company contributing the remaining 25 percent of the cost. The primary goal of the project is to reduce exposure to toxic emissions from diesel exhaust.

Montana will also benefit from a grant of $850,000 awarded to Oregon-based Cascade Sierra Solutions. Cascade Sierra Solutions will use the funds to provide emissions control solutions for the over-the road diesel trucks based in Montana, Colorado, South Dakota and Utah.

In addition to helping create and retain jobs, the clean diesel projects would help to 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 (NCDC) 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 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 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 Montana, visit: https://www.epa.gov/recovery

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