The EPA has made available $2 million in funding for rebates to help public and private construction equipment owners replace or retrofit older diesel construction engines.
Rebates will be offered as part of the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) and are intended to reduce air pollution. Older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter.
The EPA will accept applications from Nov. 20 to Jan. 15, 2014 and anticipates awarding the rebates in February 2014.
This is the second rebate program offered since Congress reauthorized DERA in 2010 to allow rebates in addition to grants and revolving loans. Since 2008, DERA has awarded more than $500 million to grantees across the US to retrofit, replace, or repower more than 50,000 vehicles. The EPA estimates these clean diesel projects will generate health benefits worth up to $8.2 billion.
The New York City Council is considering requiring that about 8,300 private collection trucks, which dispose of commercial as well as construction waste, meet federal emissions standards for diesel trucks set by the EPA in 2007. The city already requires at least 90 percent of its own diesel-powered fleet to meet the standards by 2017, and under the proposal, privately owned garbage and recycling trucks would have to meet the standards by 2020.
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