The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality (DAQ) has announced the allocation of $1.14 million in grants to support projects aimed at reducing air pollution from diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.
The annual Mobile Sources Emissions Reductions Grants program targets a variety of vehicles, including trucks, buses, construction equipment, and other mobile sources that contribute to air pollution. This year’s funding will be used to replace or retrofit 20 older diesel vehicles and pieces of equipment with cleaner alternatives. Over $270,000 of the grant money is designated for new electric vehicles.
According to DAQ projections, these projects are expected to eliminate 3,483 tons of greenhouse gas emissions over their operational lifetimes. The funded initiatives are also anticipated to reduce more than 57 tons of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 7,700 pounds of fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
Grant applications were accepted between November and February for the 2024 cycle. After reviewing submissions, DAQ awarded grants to several organizations across North Carolina:
– Cumberland County received $289,380 to replace an international box truck, a crawler dozer, and a rubber tire dozer with modern equipment.
– Delta Air Lines in Wake County was awarded $268,248 for replacing six older diesel belt loaders with zero-emission electric models.
– Espinoza Hauling and Trucking Co Inc., based in Swain County, received $185,991 for upgrading a cold milling machine.
– Fortner Contracting Inc., also in Swain County, was granted $62,039 for replacing an off-road wheel loader.
– The HMC Paving and Construction Co Inc., another Swain County recipient, received $19,913 for updating a diesel truck.
– Nancy Lee III Fishing Charters LLC in Onslow County was allocated $88,000 for new low-emission marine engines.
– Progress Freight Lines Inc. in Wake County obtained $100,000 for cleaner Class 8 trucks.
– The Town of Carrboro in Orange County was given $6,951 to replace a utility terrain vehicle with an electric model.
– Waste Management of Carolinas Inc. in Buncombe County secured $120,000 to switch four diesel vehicles to compressed natural gas technology.
These grants are supported by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. The DERA initiative funds efforts that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions.
Diesel engines—especially those built before stricter environmental standards were implemented—are known contributors to health problems such as asthma and heart disease. Diesel exhaust can also harm crops and vegetation and contribute to acid rain as well as climate change impacts. Certain communities—including many communities of color and low-income areas—may face higher exposure levels from mobile source pollution.
In the previous year’s grant cycle (2023), awards helped fund the replacement of 18 vehicles while reducing more than 43 tons of lifetime NOx emissions and over 3,000 tons of CO2 emissions.
For further details about the Mobile Sources Emissions Reduction grant program or how to apply in future cycles visit https://deq.nc.gov/DERA or contact daq.mscb.ncdaqgrants@deq.nc.gov.
