The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced it is awarding a grant of US$400,000 to the Alabama State Port Authority in Mobile, Ala., to support efforts to reduce diesel emissions and exposure by replacing one 1982 locomotive with a Tier IV locomotive engine.
The grant, approved under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program, is expected to eliminate or reduce diesel emissions through the implementation of cleaner engines, vehicles, and technologies.
Diesel engines are incredibly durable, with millions in operation in Alabama, and across the nation. These grants provide not only environmental and health benefits by eliminating exposure to diesel exhaust, but cost-effectiveness as well,
…said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator Mary S. Walker.
Reducing emissions from diesel engines is one of the most important air quality challenges facing the country. Even with EPA’s stringent heavy-duty highway, nonroad, marine and locomotive standards set to take effect over the next decade, millions of diesel engines already in use will continue to emit large amounts of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and air toxics, which contribute to serious public health problems.
DERA, as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, appropriated funds to federal and state loan programs to either rebuild diesel-powered vehicle engines to more stringent emission standards or install emission reduction systems, notify affected parties, and share the technological information with countries that have poor air quality standards.
This investment will have a lifetime reduction of nearly 102.2 tons of Nitrogen Oxides and 3.4 tons of PM2.5. These emissions are linked to thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks, millions of lost work days, and numerous other health impacts every year, according to EPA.