Diesel Emissions Reduction Programs
- School Bus Retrofit Program
- Beginning in 2008, the Air Division of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) began a project to retrofit school buses by installing diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) at a cost of approximately $1,150 per bus. MDEQ used the ARRA-DERA State Grant funds expanded the retrofit program. MDEQ collaborated with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and the American Lung Association of Mississippi (ALAMS) to inform school districts about the projects. Retrofitting of buses for the first year began in July 2009 and will be completed by winter of 2011. By the end of 2011, MDEQ will have retrofitted over 1900 buses in Mississippi.
- 2010 Auxiliary Power Unit Project
- In 2010, Mississippi DEQ used DERA State funding to assist owners of heavy duty diesel vehicles in purchasing auxiliary power units (APU). MDEQ paid for fifty percent (50%), up to a maximum of $4,000 per vehicle, for the purchase of approved APUs for trucks authorized by MDEQ. MDEQ assisted in the purchase of 65 APUs.
- Mississippi Diesel Emission Reduction Sub-grant Program
- In December of 2010, MDEQ released the application package for the Mississippi Diesel Emission Reduction Sub-grant Program. Mississippi created a competitive sub-grant process in which entities applied for funding by submitting an application following a request for proposals. Projects that could be implemented included engine repowers, engine upgrades, engine replacement, retrofitting of equipment, cleaner fuels, or idle reduction technologies. For this project, there were 39 applications requesting over $1.2 million. Twelve project were selected. Of the selected projects, nine were from private companies, two were local governments (Newton County and the City of Corinth), and one was from the Mississippi School of the Arts.
- In the fall of 2011, MDEQ expects to release another application package for the 2011 / 2012 Mississippi Diesel Emission Reduction Sub-grant Program. Details Coming Soon.
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