Arizona gets $1.9M from EPA for projects to reduce diesel emissions

PHOENIX – Arizona is receiving nearly $2 million from the Environmental Protection Agency to reduce diesel emissions, the federal agency announce Monday.

The EPA is contributing $1.9 million to Arizona as part of $14 million in grants nationwide for Diesel Emissions Reduction Act projects.

“We are excited this funding will reduce diesel pollution and benefit communities throughout Maricopa County by replacing older diesel trucks and school buses, often with zero emission electric alternatives,” Martha Guzman, administrator for the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region, said in a press release.

The Arizona funding is for two projects.

For the larger of the two grants, the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition is getting nearly $1.4 million to replace a diesel yard truck and seven diesel insulated refrigerated trailers and truck transport refrigeration units with all-electric equipment and install 108 electrified parking spaces to charge the refrigeration units in metro Phoenix.

The project is a partnership among the Columbia-Willamette coalition, McLane Company, KeHE Distribution and Papa John’s. The EPA grant will be combined with more than $1.9 million in leveraged funds from CWCCC and partners.

The other grant, around $525,000, is going to the Maricopa County Air Quality Department to replace six diesel school buses with alternative fuel buses, one diesel school bus with a battery-electric bus, and nine old diesel trucks with model year 2021 diesel trucks.

The project is a partnership among MCAQD, Yuma Union High School District, Madison School District in Phoenix, Sysco Foods and White Water II, LLC.

MCAQD will match about $350,000 of the EPA grant, and another $1.7 million in leveraged funds is going toward the project.

Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grants have provided more $1 billion to modernize diesel fleets and fund other emissions-reducing projects since the program started in 2008, according to the release.

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