UPS has been awarded about $470,000 by the EPA’s Diesel Emissions Reduction National Program. The grant will fund two projects to reduce particulate matter: the replacement of diesel engines in ground support cargo tugs and the extension of ground electricity to parked aircraft.

In the first project, UPS will replace diesel engines in 92 tugs with much cleaner gasoline engines. Replacing the diesel engines are expected to remove 5.3 tons of particulate matter per year from the air, according to the company.

In the second project, UPS will install electric units to power aircraft parked at Worldport, allowing them to avoid using 26 diesel generators. Commercial electrical power requires burning fuel at a power plant, but UPS says removing the diesel generators from the airport is expected to eliminate 2.2 tons of particulate matter per year in Louisville.

Last October, UPS placed orders for seven hydraulic hybrid vehicles and touted that it was the first in the industry to do so.

In UPS’ latest corporate sustainability report, the company reported that its energy consumption per package has increased by 1.2 percent due to faster transit-times and increased residential deliveries. (Although fuel consumption per package improved 0.4 percent.) The company says it’s continuing to look for operational measures to reduce energy such as rerouting to avoid left turns.