Arizona’s Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) will reduce the carbon emissions from construction operations at Gila River Farms with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) grant of nearly $400,000 that will go toward the replacement of four vehicles.
The funding, which will benefit members of the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee-Posh (Maricopa) tribes, is part of the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Tribal grant program and was matched by a equal contribution of $389,000 from Gila River Farms. The GRIC will use it to replace diesel construction vehicles with vehicles powered by Tier 4 engines, which will promote the health of agriculture workers and the community at large.
“Replacing older, dirtier diesel equipment with clean diesel backhoes and other construction vehicles protects the health of residents and workers,” EPA Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest Jared Blumenfeld said. “This project to reduce harmful diesel emissions is a great example of how collaboration between federal, tribal, and regional government partners can make a difference in our local communities.”
The EPA announced the GRIC grant at a Clean Diesel Workshop in Phoenix, one of three recently held in Arizona to increase awareness of air quality issues and the benefits of using clean diesel technologies and best practices to reduce air pollution.
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