EPA announces $2 million in DERA funding for Pacific Northwest

State and local organizations in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington will receive nearly $2 million in funding from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for projects supporting the goals of the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA).

While new diesel engines constructed under stricter EPA regulations are over 90 percent cleaner, many operators continue to use older models that emit pollutants including nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Aiming to reduce diesel, greenhouse gas and black carbon emissions, the funding will go toward replacing or retrofitting diesel equipment in generators, buses, trucks and other vehicles.

Washington and Oregon will receive funding for two projects each, while Alaska and Idaho will each receive grants for one.

Together with the Pacific Southwest, the West Coast Collaborative administers the DERA program for the Pacific Northwest. The collaborative is an EPA initiative that uses public and private partnerships to fund emissions reduction efforts.

In 2015, it leveraged more than $5.4 million for DERA efforts in Alaska, American Samoa, California, Hawaii Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. Since DERA’s inception in 2008, it has funded projects in 600 communities and reduced emissions from over 60,000 engines.