The Department of Environmental Quality announced today that more than $1.5 million in grants were awarded under the Michigan Clean Diesel Recovery and Reinvestment Project, a state stimulus grant project funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) of 2009.  More than $300 million in Recovery Act funding was made available to states through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (U.S. EPA's) National Clean Diesel Campaign (Clean Diesel) and the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. 

The "Clean Diesel" campaign was launched by the U.S. EPA to encourage owners and operators of diesel engine vehicles and equipment to find ways to upgrade their engines so that less efficient diesel engines are retired and cleaner burning diesel engines and technologies are used. 

The seven entities receiving Recovery Act grant awards under the Michigan Clean Diesel Recovery and Reinvestment Project are:

·         Detroit/Wayne County Port Authority of Detroit-Nicholson Terminal and Dock for the repower of certified marine engines and aerial lifts ($141,700).

·         Detroit Wayne County Port Authority of Detroit - Waterfront Petroleum Terminal Company for the repower of certified propulsion marine engines, certified engine generator sets, and shore pumps ($309,913).

·         Mass Transit Authority of Flint for the certified engine repower of urban transit buses ($162,705).

·         Okemos Public Schools for the purchase and installation of exhaust control retrofit devices for a variety of statewide school buses ($153,964).

·         Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision for engine repowers of non-road construction equipment, as well as short haul on-road vehicles, and marine ferry engines.  This project will also incorporate idle reduction technology in tire loaders and exhaust control retrofit devices on highway vehicles ($370,367).

·         Whiteline Express, Ltd. to install idle reduction auxiliary power units on their long haul truck fleet ($79,200).

·         Zeeland Public Schools to replace diesel engine school buses with propane powered school buses ($309,648).

Each project will apply U.S. EPA or California Air Resources Board verified diesel engine emissions reduction technology solutions.

Editor's note:  DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq .

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"