<

Funding Opportunity: EPA Announces $40 Million in Funding to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Engines

by | Dec 23, 2018 | Articles | 0 comments

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) anticipates awarding approximately $40 million in competitive grant funding for the Diesel Emissions Reductions Act (DERA) Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. The Program is soliciting applications nationwide for projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced and exposure, particularly from fleets operating in areas designated by the EPA Administrator as poor air quality areas.

 

Application packages must be submitted electronically to EPA through Grants.gov (www.grants.gov) no later than Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at 11:59 Eastern time to be considered for funding.

 

Note the attached file and the information detailed below.  For more information, also visit: https://www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-national-grants

 

Important Dates

Activity Date
Request for Applications (RFA) OPENS Thursday, December 20, 2018
Information Session Webinar

LINK TO WEBINAR Exit

Call-in Number: 1-202-991-0477
Access Code: 414-9804#

 Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at

3 p.m. ET
Information Session Webinar

LINK TO WEBINAR EXIT

Call-in Number: 1-202-991-0477
Access Code: 414-9804#

 Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at

2 p.m. ET
Frequently Asked Questions Document (FAQ)

(13 pp, 357 K, December 19, 2018, About PDF):

Deadline for Submittal of Questions

 February 22, 2019 at 4 p.m. ET
Deadline for Applications Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at 11:59  p.m. (ET)
Notification of Selected Applicants April 2019
Funding of Awards May-October, 2019

 

 

Supporting Information for RFA

Frequently Asked Questions

All applicants are encouraged to review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (PDF) (13 pp, 357K, December 19, 2018) for further clarification of this Request for Applications. Applicants may email written questions to: cleandiesel@epa.gov. Please type “RFA Question” in the subject line. The FAQ document will be updated weekly during the application period, and the estimated final posting of the FAQ document will be Wednesday, February 27, 2019.

 

See the deadline for submitting questions for the FAQ document in the Important Dates section above. All questions and answers, including those from all webinar information sessions, will be added to this document.

Eligible Applicants

The following U.S. entities are eligible to apply for Clean Diesel National Grants:

Regional, state, local or tribal agencies/consortia or port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality

  • Nonprofit organizations or institutions that represent or provide pollution reduction or educational services to persons or organizations that own or operate diesel fleets or have the promotion of transportation or air quality as their principal purpose.

School districts, municipalities, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), cities and counties are all eligible entities to the extent that they fall within the definition above.

Please refer to the full RFA for specific information about this competition.

Top of Page

Eligible Uses of Funding

Eligible diesel vehicles, engines and equipment include:

  • School buses
  • Class 5 – Class 8 heavy-duty highway vehicles
  • Locomotive engines
  • Marine engines
  • Nonroad engines, equipment or vehicles used in construction, handling of cargo (including at ports or airports), agriculture, mining or energy production (including stationary generators and pumps).

Grant funds may be used for clean diesel projects including:

Funds awarded under this program cannot be used to fund emission reductions mandated by federal law. Equipment for testing emissions or fueling infrastructure is not eligible for funding.

Please refer to the full RFA for specific information about this competition.

Grant Process

The RFP includes information on how to prepare and submit a proposal package. The proposal package must be received by the deadline and include the following documents:

  • Project Narrative (no more than 11 pages)
  • Standard Form SF 424 – Application for Federal Assistance
  • Standard Form SF 424A – Budget Information
  • Standard Form 424B– Non-Construction Programs
  • EPA Form 4700-4– Pre-Award Compliance Review
  • EPA Form 5700-54– Key Contacts Form
  • Applicant Fleet Description information (not included in the page limit)
  • Emissions Reduction Calculations (not included in the page limit)
  • Cost-Share Commitment Letters, if applicable (not included in the page limit)
  • Partnership Letters, if applicable (not included in the page limit)
  • Mandated Measures Justification Supporting Information, if applicable (not included in the page limit)

After the closing date, all eligible applications will be reviewed and ranked. Selected projects may be fully or partially funded.

Tools and Resources for Applicants

Reporting Templates for Grantees

Free Viewers

 

 

 

From: US EPA <noreply-subscriptions@epa.gov>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2018 1:11 PM
To: Ferguson, James M. <James.Ferguson@netl.doe.gov>
Subject: [EXTERNAL] EPA Announces $40 Million in Funding to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Engines

 

EPA Announces $40 Million in Funding to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Engines

Grant funding prioritized for areas facing air quality challenges

Media contacts: Jennah Durant or Joe Hubbard, R6Press@epa.gov or 214 665-2200

 

DALLAS – (Dec. 21, 2018) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of grant funding to implement projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $40 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds. Applicants in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Texas can apply for up to $2.5 million in funds.
“By financially supporting projects that upgrade aging diesel engines, EPA is helping improve their efficiency and reduce air pollution throughout the nation,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “From our grant programs to our new Cleaner Trucks Initiative, EPA is taking important steps to help modernize heavy-duty trucks and provide cleaner, more efficient methods of transportation that will protect the environment and keep our economy growing.”

 

“In EPA Region 6, DERA funding has helped schools, municipalities, and even airports contribute to improving air quality,” said Regional Administrator Anne Idsal. “We encourage a wide variety of applicants to take advantage of this opportunity to upgrade their fleets and be part of cleaner, healthier communities.”

 

Diesel-powered engines move approximately 90 percent of the nation’s freight tonnage, and today nearly all highway freight trucks, locomotives, and commercial marine vessels are powered by diesel engines.

 

EPA is soliciting applications nationwide for projects that significantly reduce diesel emissions and exposure, especially from fleets operating at goods movements facilities in areas designated as having poor air quality. Priority for funding will also be given to projects that engage and benefit local communities and applicants that demonstrate their ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended.

 

EPA anticipates releasing a separate Tribal Clean Diesel funding opportunity in late 2019.

 

In October, during Children’s Health Month, EPA announced the availability of approximately $9 million in rebates to public school bus fleet owners to help replace or upgrade older engines. This is the sixth rebate program to fund cleaner school buses under DERA, that have supported nearly 25,000 cleaner buses across the country for America’s school children.

 

Background

Since the first year of the DERA program in 2008, EPA has competitively awarded over 530 grants and 390 rebates across the country. Many of these projects funded cleaner diesel engines that operate in economically disadvantaged communities whose residents suffer from higher-than-average instances of asthma, heart and lung disease.

 

Eligible applicants include regional, state, local or tribal agencies, or port authorities with jurisdiction over transportation or air quality. Nonprofit organizations may apply if they provide pollution reduction or educational services to diesel fleet owners or have, as their principal purpose, the promotion of transportation or air quality. Applicants may apply until Wednesday, March 6, 2019.

 

Under this competition, EPA anticipates awarding between 40 and 80 assistance agreements. Applicants must request funding from the EPA regional office which covers the geographic project location. The maximum amount of federal funding that may be requested per application varies by Region.

 

  • Region 1 (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont) will accept proposals requesting up to $1,000,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 2 (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands) will accept proposals requesting up to $2,500,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 3 (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia) will accept proposals requesting up to $2,500,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 4 (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee) will accept proposals requesting up to $2,000,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 5 (Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin) will accept proposals requesting up to $3,000,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 6 (Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas) will accept proposals requesting up to $2,500,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 7 (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska will accept proposals requesting up to $1,500,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming) will accept proposals requesting up to $2,400,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands) will accept proposals requesting up to $4,000,000 in grant funds.

 

  • Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington) will accept proposals requesting up to $1,000,000 in grant funds.

 

For more information and to access the Request for Applications, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel/clean-diesel-national-grants.

 

For more information on the National Clean Diesel campaign, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.

 

Connect with EPA Region 6:

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eparegion6

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/EPAregion6

Activities in EPA Region 6: http://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/region6.htm

Post Views: 1,110