EPA Grants hope to spur new clean diesel technologies.
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Press Release Summary:
US EPA awarded $5.6 million for emerging technologies projects as part of its summer-long roll out of $120 million in clean diesel grants. Awards will provide opportunities to advance emerging technologies in marketplace as well as support both environmental innovation and green jobs to reduce diesel emissions. According tot EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, "EPA is promoting innovations that will not only create jobs, but also keep dangerous pollution out of the air we breathe."
Original Press Release:
EPA Awards $5.6 Million to Spur New Clean Diesel Technologies
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $5.6 million for emerging technologies projects as part of a summer-long roll out of $120 million in clean diesel grants. The awards will provide opportunities to advance cutting-edge technologies in the marketplace, and support both environmental innovation and green jobs to reduce diesel emissions. Diesel pollution is linked to thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and millions of lost work days.
"EPA is promoting innovations that will not only create jobs, but also keep dangerous pollution out of the air we breathe," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "We're playing to America's strengths of ingenuity and invention to improve the future of our economy, our health and our environment."
Most clean diesel grants involve widely used strategies such as retrofits or replacements. However, the emerging technologies program promotes deployment of innovative approaches that have not yet been verified or certified by EPA or the California Air Resources Board. Instead, the program enables evaluation of these promising technologies in the field while providing air quality benefits to the surrounding area. Diesel engines emit approximately 7.3 million tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 333,000 tons of soot annually.
Recipients of the emerging technologies grants are:
Throughout this summer, EPA is awarding a total of $120 million under the diesel emissions reduction program (often known as DERA) to help lower exhaust from the existing fleet of 11 million diesel engines in communities nationwide. Grants included under DERA, in addition to the emerging technologies grants, are:
EPA's new heavy-duty highway and non-road diesel engine standards taking effect over the next decade will significantly reduce emissions from new engines. However, these standards apply only to engines manufactured in the year 2007 and beyond. The 11 million diesel engines in use today will continue to pollute unless emissions are controlled with technology and/or cleaner fuels. EPA's National Clean Diesel Campaign and the SmartWay Partnership assist fleets with controlling diesel emissions through financial and technical assistance.
More information on the National Clean Diesel Campaign: http://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel
More information about fuel savings and reducing the carbon footprint of vehicles: http://www.epa.gov/smartway
