The Environmental Protection Agency has distributed the first awards in its $50 million Diesel Emission Reduction Program, dividing $3.4 million among three organizations.

The funds are meant to help small trucking firms and associated organizations reduce emissions and lower fuel costs. The first three recipients are Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (Missouri), Cascade Sierra Solutions (Oregon) and Community Development Transportation Lending Services (Washington, D.C.). The EPA will also provide $14.8 million to state governments as part of the total $50 million budget. Those funds will go to create State Clean Diesel programs in all 50 states. So far, 35 states are putting up matching funds. The EPA's 10 regional offices will receive $27.6 million and an additional $3.4 million will be used as grants for emerging clean diesel projects.

The Diesel Emission Reduction Program was created with the goal of improving clean diesel technologies for the 11 million diesel trucks currently in use in the United States. It's estimated those technologies can save $72 million in annual fuel costs alone. Cascade Sierra Solutions, for instance, has already performed emission-reduction services on 1,500 diesel engines. The organization's $1.3 million grant will help install idle reduction technologies on an additional 1,700 trucks.

Photo — Alexander DeVoe