EPA News Release (Region 7): Missouri “Breathe Easy” Project Receives $947,338 in Diesel Emission Reduction Funding

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 901 N. Fifth St., Kansas City, KS 66101   Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations   Missouri “Breathe Easy” Project Receives $947,338 in Diesel Emission Reduction Funding    Contact Information: David Bryan, 913-551-7433, bryan.david@epa.gov Environmental News   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   (Kansas City, Kan., Nov. 2, 2011) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $947,338 to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) “Breathe Easy” Project, a $1.5 million project to retrofit, repower and replace diesel engines on heavy duty vehicles across the state.   MDNR will partner with St. Louis Regional Clean Cities, Mid-America Regional Council in Kansas City, Ozarks Center for Sustainable Solutions in Springfield and the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning Commission (SEMO RPC) to reduce emissions from locomotives, tugboats, loaders, dump trucks and refuse hauler vehicles.   St. Louis Regional Clean Cities will repower one switch locomotive and four tugboat engines as part of the project. Older diesel vehicles or machines can be repowered with newer diesel engines or in some cases with engines that operate on alternative fuels. The original engine is taken out of service and a new engine with reduced emission characteristics is installed. Mid-America Regional Council plans to install automatic engine startup/shutdown devices on five switch locomotives and repower one loader used in paving and asphalt. Ozarks Center for Sustainable Solutions in Springfield plans to replace a material handler for CMC Recycling and retrofit 20 dump trucks with diesel oxidation catalysts and close crankcase ventilation to reduce emissions from vehicles used in paving and asphalt. A diesel oxidation catalyst uses a chemical process to break down diesel engine pollutants in the exhaust stream, turning them into less harmful components. SEMO RPC will retrofit 10 refuse hauler vehicles used by the cities of Bonne Terre and Perryville and St. Francois County with diesel particulate filters and diesel oxidation catalysts. EPA has awarded $50 million for clean diesel projects as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce harmful emissions in the air and better protect people's health. These efforts will replace, retrofit or repower more than 8,000 older school buses, trucks, locomotives, vessels, and other diesel powered machines. Reducing emissions from existing diesels provides cost-effective public health and environmental benefits while supporting green jobs at manufacturers, dealerships and businesses across the country. Diesel engines emit 7.3 million tons of smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) and 333,000 tons of soot annually. Diesel pollution is linked to thousands of premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks and millions of lost work days. While EPA's standards significantly reduce emissions from newly manufactured engines, clean diesel projects funded through these grants will work to address the more than 11 million older diesel engines that continue to emit higher levels of harmful pollution.   # # #   More information on the National Clean Diesel Campaign   Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion7     Note: If a link above doesn't work, please copy and paste the URL into a browser.     View all Region 7 News Releases     You can view or update your subscriptions or e-mail address at any time on your Subscriber Preferences Page. All you will need is your e-mail address. If you have any questions or problems e-mail support@govdelivery.com for assistance.  This service is provided to you at no charge by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  This email was sent to elmasry.webmaster@gmail.com using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 · 202-564-4355