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Kentucky Association of General Contractors Receives Grant for Clean Diesel Construction Program

Release Date: 03/19/2007
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421, [email protected]

(ATLANTA – March 19, 2007) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today awarded the Kentucky Association of General Contractors (AGC) a $50,000 Southeast Diesel Collaborative grant to implement the Kentucky Clean Diesel Construction Program. The grant provides funding to encourage the use of cleaner equipment by the construction industry statewide. This grant is the first in the nation awarded to a state AGC for a clean diesel construction project and the first awarded under the Southeast Diesel Collaborative partnership.

“EPA is proud to award the first Southeast Diesel Collaborative grant to this innovative project and we applaud the efforts of the Kentucky AGC, Messer Construction, Caterpillar Inc., John Deere and Company, Engine Control Systems, and the Kentucky Department for Environmental Protection to improve air quality and protect public health,” said Jimmy Palmer, EPA Regional Administrator. “Emissions from diesel engines pose a serious public health threat and environmental challenge, and addressing them is a priority for EPA.”

The Kentucky AGC will partner with Messer Construction Company to reduce diesel emissions from their construction industry equipment. Additional partners supporting clean diesel and emission control technology for the Kentucky Clean Diesel Construction Program include Caterpillar, Inc., John Deere and Company and Engine Controls Systems.

Reducing emissions from diesel engines is one of the most important air quality challenges facing the country with non-road construction equipment contributing significantly to local air quality issues. There are more than 2 million pieces of construction equipment in the United States, each emitting more pollution than highway vehicles. For example, a typical bulldozer engine can emit as much fine particulate matter as 500 new cars. Non-road construction diesel retrofit projects are a cost-effective way to improve air quality and protect public health.

The Southeast Diesel Collaborative, part of EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign, is a program combining regulatory measures with voluntary initiatives to reduce the pollution emitted from diesel engines. The goal of the Southeast Diesel Collaborative is to improve air quality by encouraging the use of clean, renewable energy and by reducing diesel emissions from existing engines and equipment from the agriculture, heavy construction and on-road sectors. Visit the Southeast Diesel Collaborative website at www.southeastdiesel.org and the National Clean Diesel Campaign at www.epa.gov/cleandiesel .