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EPA Provides the Town of Fairfield, CT $831,030 to Reduce Diesel Emissions from Municipal Vehicles

Release Date: 07/21/2010
Contact Information: David Deegan, 617-918-1017

Boston, Mass. – July 21, 2010) – The EPA recently awarded $831,030 to the Town of Fairfield, CT to install verified diesel emissions reduction technologies on it’s fleet of municipal vehicles.

"Reducing diesel emissions is an effective way to improve air quality—one of the seven key priorities of Administrator Jackson. Fewer diesel emissions will help those who suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems,” said Curt Spalding, regional administrator of EPA's New England Office. “These projects will help bring cleaner air to the residents of Connecticut.”

Diesel engines contribute significantly to air pollution, especially in urban areas. The fine particles in diesel exhaust pose serious health risks, including aggravated asthma and other respiratory symptoms. Children are especially vulnerable to these effects. The Northeast has some of the highest asthma rates in the nation, including a childhood asthma rate above 10 percent in all six New England states.

“We are so pleased and encouraged that this grant will provide Fairfield with the ability to eliminate 90% of diesel emissions from town public works trucks to clean the air in our neighborhoods,” said Town of Fairfield First Selectman Ken Flatto.

This grant will allow the Town of Fairfield, CT to retrofit 39 on-road and non-road diesel vehicles operated by the Department of Public Works with diesel particulate filters (DPFs) resulting in estimated lifetime reductions of particulate matter (PM), hydrocarbons (HC), and carbon monoxide of (CO) emissions of 1.7, 2.6, and 7.9 tons, respectively. The grant will cover 100% of the cost of purchase and installation of each pollution control device.

This announcement is part of more than $67 million in grant funds being awarded by the EPA through the 2010 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. Other New England entities receiving grants this year include Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), New Bedford Harbor Development Commission, and Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management (NESCAUM). In addition, under the state clean diesel grant program, EPA also recently announced that it is awarding $1.7 million to the New England state environmental agencies for clean diesel projects in New England.

For more information:

Northeast Diesel Collaborative (www.northeastdiesel.org)
EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign (www.epa.gov/diesel/)

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