EPA awards Nevada more than $300K to improve air quality
CARSON CITY — The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Nevada Clean Diesel Program, was awarded Diesel Emission Reduction Act grant funds from the U.S. EPA to reduce nitrogen oxides and particulate matter discharged from older diesel-powered vehicles and equipment.
The NDEP’s Nevada Clean Diesel Program began in 2008 as the Nevada School Bus Replacement and Retrofit Program. The initial goals of the program were: 1) to reduce the exposure of school-age children to particulate matter and other harmful components of diesel exhaust emissions from school buses, and 2) to improve and maintain air quality in communities across Nevada through particulate matter emission reductions.
In the latest round, Nevada received more than $300,000.
In 2012 the scope of the Clean Diesel Program expanded to include municipal public works fleets; however, school bus emissions continued to be a priority for the program and several school bus replacement projects have been funded in recent years. To date, the Nevada Clean Diesel Program has distributed more than $4 million for clean air projects.
“The DERA funding supports the Nevada Clean Diesel Program, which is one of the many successful programs NDEP has leveraged to help reduce harmful vehicle pollution in Nevada," said Bradley Crowell, director of the Nevada Department of Conservation & Natural Resources. "In particular, DERA funds are helping protect Nevada children through modernizing our school bus fleets.”
“DERA funding has been an effective resource for municipalities in Nevada working to improve air quality,” said NDEP Administrator Greg Lovato. “The funding will be instrumental in our ongoing efforts to protect and enhance air quality throughout the state.”