Ohio Environmental Protection Agency : EPA Awards Diesel Emission Reduction Grants

1/31/17
PUBLIC INTEREST CENTER, [phone]
MEDIA CONTACT: Dina Pierce
CITIZEN CONTACT: Mary McCarron

The Ohio Diesel Emissions Reduction Grant (DERG) Program has awarded 30 grants totaling more than $12.8 million for refurbishing or replacing aging diesel engines with newer, cleaner diesel technology or alternative fuel technology on school and transit buses and other vehicles.

Ohio EPA estimates that these projects will result in an annual reduction of more than 137 tons of air pollutants in 25 Ohio counties. These benefits will continue to accrue each year that the new vehicles, vessels and locomotives remain in service.

The projects that were funded include:

School bus projects:

Black River Local School District in Lorain and Medina counties is receiving $71,360 to replace one 2002 model year diesel-powered school bus with one new diesel-powered bus.

Champion Local School District in Trumbull County is receiving $79,841 to replace two 1999 model year diesel-powered school buses with two new diesel-powered buses.

Elmwood Local School District in Wood County is receiving $214,720 to replace three 2002-2005 model year diesel school buses with three new propane-powered buses.

Forest Hills Local School District in Hamilton County is receiving $491,920 to replace 11 1998-2000 model year diesel-powered school buses with 11 new propane-powered buses.

Kirtland Local School District in Lake County is receiving $225,633 to replace four 1995-2002 model year diesel-powered school buses with four new diesel-powered buses.

National Express LLC in Butler, Clermont, Franklin, Hamilton, Montgomery, Summit and Warren counties is receiving $986,575 for the engine components to replace 50 1998-2001 model year diesel-powered school buses with 50 new diesel-powered buses. Ohio EPA is serving as the public sponsor for this project.

North Canton City School District in Stark County is receiving $305,501 to replace five 2000-2003 model year diesel-powered school buses with five new propane-powered buses.

North Royalton City School District in Cuyahoga County is receiving $178,418 to replace four 2005 model year diesel-powered school buses with four new diesel-powered buses.

Northwest Local School District with Fairless and Tuslaw Local School Districts in Stark County is receiving $703,404 to replace 12 1996-2003 model year diesel-powered school buses with eight new diesel-powered buses and four new propane-powered buses.

South-Western City School District in Franklin County is receiving $902,131 to replace 21 2002-2004 model year diesel-powered school buses with 21 new diesel-powered buses.

Southwest Local School District in Hamilton County is receiving $297,993 to replace four 1999-2004 model year diesel-powered school buses with four new diesel-powered buses.

Washington Local School District in Lucas County is receiving $53,667 to replace one 2004 model year diesel-powered school bus with one new diesel-powered bus.

Transit bus projects:

Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) in Franklin County is receiving $813,568 to replace two 2004 model year diesel-powered transit buses with two new buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG).

Delaware Area Transit Board in Delaware County is receiving $357,606 to replace one 1999 model year diesel-powered transit bus with one new diesel-powered transit bus.

Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA) in Cuyahoga County is receiving $776,909 to replace two 2003 model year diesel-powered transit buses with two new CNG-powered buses.

Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority (GDRTA) in Montgomery County is receiving $641,757 to replace two 2003 model year diesel-powered transit buses with two new diesel-powered buses.

Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) in Hamilton County is receiving $373,851 to replace a 2001 model year diesel-powered transit bus with one new diesel-powered bus.

Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) in Stark county is receiving partial funding of $375,000 to replace one 2002 model year diesel-powered transit bus with one new hydrogen-powered bus.

Western Reserve Transit Authority (WRTA) in Mahoning County is receiving $662,365 to replace two 2000-2001 model year diesel-powered transit buses with two new diesel-powered buses.

Other projects:

Bellaire Harbor Service Inc. in Belmont County is receiving $367,275 to replace two 1973 model year diesel-powered propulsion engines in a tug boat with two new diesel-powered propulsion engines. The Belmont County Port Authority is serving as the public sponsor for this project.

Bridges Bros. Trucking, LLC, in Delaware, Franklin and Licking counties is receiving $195,401 for engine components to replace seven class 8 1991-2004 model year diesel-powered trucks with seven new class 8 diesel-powered trucks. The Ohio Air Quality Development Authority is serving as the public sponsor for this project.

Dayton Freight Lines Inc. in Butler, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lake, Montgomery, Portage and Wood counties is receiving $455,578 for engine components to replace 15 class 8 2000-2004 model year diesel-powered trucks with new diesel-powered trucks. Ohio EPA is serving as the public sponsor for this project.

Johnson Trucking, LLC, in Lucas and Wood counties is receiving $177,238 for engine components to replace four class 8 1994-2000 model year diesel-powered service/dump trucks with four new class 8 diesel-powered trucks. Fulton County Economic Development Corp. is the public sponsor for this project.

Licking County Commissioners is receiving $177,603 to replace 1985 and 1990 model year class 8 diesel-powered service trucks with two new class 8 diesel-powered trucks.

City of Newark in Licking County is receiving $116,056 to replace two class 7 1990 and 1993 model year diesel-powered service/dump trucks with two new class 7 diesel-powered trucks.

Norfolk Southern, operating in Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lorain and Lucas counties, is receiving $987,000 to install 12 plug-in power crane electric layover heating systems for 35 locomotives operating at five rail yards in the Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo metropolitan areas. The Ohio Rail Development Commission is serving as the public sponsor for the project.

Perry Township Road Department in Stark County is receiving $84,461 to replace three class 8a 1988-1996 model year dump trucks and one class 8 1992 model year service truck with one new class 8 diesel-powered truck and one new class 5 diesel utility truck.

Rumpke Transportation Co. in Butler, Clark, Delaware, Fairfield, Greene, Hamilton, Licking, Montgomery and Warren counties is receiving $800,005 for engine components to replace 35 class 7 and 8 1999-2000 model year diesel-powered refuse trucks with 35 new CNG-powered refuse trucks. Ohio EPA is the public sponsor for the project.

SmithFoods Trucking, Inc. in Cuyahoga, Delaware, Fairfield, Franklin, Geauga, Knox, Lake, Licking and Lorain counties is receiving $402,138 for engine components to replace 12 class 8 1996-2005 model year diesel-powered trucks with 12 used 2012 model year CNG trucks. Ohio EPA is the public sponsor for the project.

Wood County Engineer with Jackson, Liberty and Montgomery townships in Wood County is receiving $541,075 to replace six class 8 1995-2003 model year diesel-powered service/dump trucks with six new class 8 diesel-powered service/dump trucks.

Funding for the grants comes from the Federal Highway Administrations' Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program. There will be another DERG application cycle later in 2017. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact [e-mail] to receive email updates when the 'Request for Proposals' is released. Applications may be submitted for projects in 35 eligible Ohio counties, and portions of three other counties. The Ohio program is administered jointly by the Ohio Department of Transportation and Ohio EPA.

For more information, visit: http://epa.ohio.gov/oee/EnvironmentalEducation.aspx#131364252-diesel-emission-reduction-grants.

-30-

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1972 to consolidate efforts to protect and improve air quality, water quality and waste management in Ohio. Since then, air pollutants dropped by as much as 90 percent; large rivers meeting standards improved from 21 percent to 89 percent; and hundreds of polluting, open dumps were replaced with engineered landfills and an increased emphasis on waste reduction and recycling.