Diesel Emissions Reduction Act Funding (DERA)
In April 2009, the LDEQ received a one time grant allocation from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The total amount of available funding is approximately $1.7 million. The total estimated funding expected for all awards under this solicitation by LDEQ is approximately $1,613,865.
For Immediate Release Contact: Rodney Mallett
July 1, 2009 Telephone: 225.219.3964
DEQ announces the Recovery Act Funding of the Louisiana Clean Diesel Grant Program
BATON ROUGE –The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) is soliciting project proposals for the Recovery Act Funding of the Louisiana Clean Diesel Grant Program. Proposal submittal information and copies of the Solicitation Agreement are available under the Stimulus Package button at www.deq.louisiana.gov. All project proposals must be received before 5:00 p.m. on August 14, 2009.
Under the program, eligible agencies or organizations may receive full or partial awards to fund EPA-certified technologies that reduce diesel emissions from existing diesel engines and non-road equipment. The funding will be used toward the purchase and installation of EPA-verified exhaust control equipment (retrofits), idle reduction equipment, engine replacement (repowering) and/or fleet replacement. Examples of eligible Louisiana Clean Diesel Grant Program projects include: Public/school buses exhaust retrofits; Heavy/Medium truck idle reductions; Fleet and construction equipment upgrade/replacement; and Marine/Locomotive engine repowers.
The funding is available to a regional, state, local or tribal agency or port authority with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality issues. Nonprofit organization or institutions that represent or provide educational or air pollution reduction services to privately owned or operated diesel fleets are also eligible to apply for funding. Funding cannot be awarded directly to private (for-profit) groups. However, funding may be used to pay private groups that compete for the projects awarded grants (sub-awards) or that partner with an eligible entity. For example, a port authority may be awarded funding to competitively bid the upgrading of their diesel engine equipment or a school district that partners with a private school bus company may receive funding to retrofit the private bus fleet.