News Releases from Headquarters›Air and Radiation (OAR)

EPA Announces $2 Million Available for Tribes to Clean Up Diesel Engines

(Washington) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the availability of $2 million in grant funding for tribal applicants to establish diesel emission reduction projects. Under this grant competition, applicants may request up to $800,000 in federal funding.

“The Trump Administration continues to work with tribal nations across the country to lower their air pollution, especially particulate matter coming out of older, less efficient diesel engines,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “These clean diesel grants will help tribes replace or upgrade such engines, making important progress on their air quality goals.”
 
EPA anticipates awarding approximately eight tribal assistance agreements, which could include projects that replace, upgrade or retrofit school buses, transit buses, heavy-duty diesel trucks, marine engines, locomotives, energy production generators or other diesel engines. Proposals from tribal applicants must be received by Thursday, July 9, 2020. 
 
This competition is part of the Diesel Emission Reduction (DERA) program, which funds projects to clean up the nation’s legacy fleet of diesel engines. Older diesel engines emit more air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than newer diesel engines. These pollutants are linked to a range of serious health problems including asthma, lung and heart disease.

Since 2008, DERA grants have funded projects that have significantly improved air quality and provided critical health benefits by reducing hundreds of thousands of tons of air pollution and saving millions of gallons of fuel. This is the eighth tribes-only competition for DERA funding.  

The DERA Tribal Grants program gives priority to projects which achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions and exposure in areas designated as having poor air quality. Priority for funding may also be given to projects which address the needs and concerns of local communities, those that use partnerships to leverage additional resources and expertise to advance the goals of the project, and those which can demonstrate the ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended. 
 
For more information on the Tribal Request for Applications (RFA) and related documents, visit: Tribal Grants: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) at www.epa.gov/dera/tribal.
 
For more information on the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program, visit www.epa.gov/dera.