Midwest Clean Diesel partners awarded millions

United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 will award more than $4.8 million in grants to 13 state and local partners as part of the Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative. The regional grants come from the $49.2 million 2008 National Clean Diesel Campaign.

EPA presented a $750,000 check to one of the grant recipients, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative was founded by EPA Region 5 in 2004 to reduce pollution from older diesel engines by making them run cleaner and eliminating unnecessary idling. Since then, the partnership has affected more than 600,000 engines.

“EPA looks forward to funding even more of these very worthwhile clean diesel projects thanks to the American Recovery and Revitalization Act (ARRA), better known as the Economic Stimulus Package,” said EPA acting regional administrator Bharat Mathur.

Under ARRA, about $300 million will go to reducing emissions from diesel engines nationally. This additional funding is expected to improve air quality and create jobs at companies that manufacture emission control devices and idle reduction technologies. EPA anticipates that it will also create jobs for the technicians who install these devices on trucks, buses, and construction equipment.

The groups receiving funding from the Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative are:

• Illinois Green Fleets – $678,604.
• Chicago Public Schools (City of Chicago) – $373,909.
• Northwest Indiana Forum Foundation (ArcelorMittal Steel, NW Indiana) –$164,032.
• Indiana Department of Environmental Management – $334,500.
• NextEnergy Center (Southeast Michigan) – $250,000.
• Lenawee Intermediate School District (Lenawee County, Michigan) – $154,381.
• Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker School District (Huron County, Michigan) – $251,100.
• Clean Energy Coalition (Michigan) – $250,000.
• Minnesota Environmental Initiative – $400,000.
• Stark County Educational Services Center (Ohio) – $465,364.
• Clean Fuels Ohio - $412,554.
• Ohio Environmental Council – $394,589.
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation – $750,000.

Projects include a variety of diesel emission reduction approaches such as retrofit technologies, idle-reduction technologies, cleaner fuel use, engine upgrades and vehicle or equipment replacement.