The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has been awarded funding from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce emissions from diesel engines in Arkansas. ADEQ is offering the funds as a competitive funding assistance opportunity entitled “Reduce Emissions from Diesels (Go RED!)”. Public entities, non-profit organizations, and school districts in Arkansas will be eligible to receive funding.
The funds will be awarded on a competitive basis, and projects that are selected for awards must reduce diesel emissions in Arkansas. The total amount of available funding is approximately $400,000, and ADEQ will award funding assistance of up to $100,000 per organization.
ADEQ will fund retrofits, idling reduction technology and engine upgrades up to 100%, engine replacements up to 50% and equipment/vehicle replacements up to 25% and will be available to provide support to awardees during the procurement of cleaner diesel technology and throughout the award period.
Although districts may apply for any technology, school districts generally apply for retrofits. There are several different types of retrofits available such as diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs), diesel multi-stage filters (DMFs) and diesel particulate filters (DPFs). The cost and amount of emissions reduced varies with the various retrofits. Only EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) verified technology, which includes retrofits, will be eligible for funding. Lists of the currently verified technology can be found at http://www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/verif-list.htm and http://www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/verdev/vt/cvt.htm.
Public school districts are encouraged to apply for this funding opportunity to help make Arkansas’s air cleaner. The ADEQ brochure for the Go RED program is attached.
For an application guide, go to http://www.adeq.state.ar.us/poa/go_red.htm. The deadline for ADEQ to receive proposal submittals is April 1, 2009, with awards being made by May 15, 2009.