The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has announced an allocation of over $8.5 million in grants to seven projects as part of the Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grant Program, aiming to cut down on diesel pollution. The DEQ sifted through 45 applications this year from a mixed bag of Oregon businesses, local governments, and equipment owners, choosing initiatives that promise to make significant strides in air quality improvement, particularly benefiting the state's vulnerable populations.
With these grants, Oregon looks to see the reduction of more than 27 tons of pollutants like nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter from its atmosphere. Among the recipients noted for continued efforts in reducing emissions, Portland's City of Roses Disposal and Recycling received funding to swap out nine diesel vehicles with electric and renewable diesel alternatives. All Service Moving will also push towards an electric fleet, earmarked to replace nine diesel moving trucks.
In a move to diversify transportation options, First Student, Inc. in Gresham will retire two diesel school buses, bringing in two electric replacements, while MTR Western is set to upgrade four diesel motor coaches to electric models. The grants range from as high as $2.9 million to the lower end of $120,000, assigned to Waste Management of Oregon, Inc. for their project to replace heavily polluting waste trucks with renewable natural gas versions, as per the information provided by the Oregon DEQ announcement.
In total, the DEQ's 2024 grant amount totals $8,551,307.91, a figure that could increase in response to inflation and rising equipment costs to ensure the projects yield the maximum air quality benefits, according to DEQ Air Quality Division Administrator Ali Mirzakhalili. "This is just one of DEQ’s many programs and incentives supporting our mission to reduce harmful air pollution and protect public health," Mirzakhalili stated, suggesting a continued commitment from previous awardees to turn their fleets toward low- and zero-emission vehicles.
The funding process was guided by a set of criteria established by the Oregon Legislature, including a GIS evaluation against a map of vulnerable populations, ensuring projects were weighted beneficially toward those most affected by diesel emissions. The DEQ, seated on approximately $40 million from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund, directs approximately $8 million annually into these grants, with next year marking the final application and award cycle for the Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grants.
