US EPA awards $125 million in DERA grants

21 October 2024

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced selections totaling nearly $125 million under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants Program which will incentivize the upgrade or retirement of older diesel engines to cleaner and zero-emission technologies.

The awards are in final workplan negotiations with the tentatively selected applicants. Once all legal and administrative requirements are satisfied and awards are finalized, the EPA will update the DERA National Awards webpage.

The DERA program prioritizes projects in areas that face air quality impacts, especially those projects that benefit disadvantaged communities and other areas that face particular public health or environmental justice risks or impacts, the EPA said in a press release.

In total, EPA has tentatively selected approximately 70 national DERA projects to reduce diesel emissions across a range of transportation sectors including the engine replacements and upgrades to school buses, port equipment, and construction equipment. In addition to funding new cleaner diesel technologies, more than half of these selections will support replacing older equipment and vehicles with zero-emission technologies, such as all-electric school buses, terminal tractors, drayage trucks and shore power to marine vessels.

Eligible activities include the retrofit or replacement of existing diesel engines, vehicles, and equipment with EPA and California Air Resources Board certified engine configurations and verified retrofit and idle reduction technologies.

Source: US EPA