News Releases from Region 09
EPA awards Diesel Emissions Reduction Act grant for clean air project in American Samoa
SAN FRANCISCO – As part of the West Coast Collaborative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $82,960 in a Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant to American Samoa to curb harmful pollution from large diesel sources, such as trucks, buses, and agriculture equipment.
"Clean diesel technologies not only improve air quality, but advance innovation and support jobs,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. "These projects will significantly reduce harmful emissions and directly benefit the health of residents.”
"By promoting clean diesel technologies, we can improve air quality and human health, advance American innovation and support green jobs in economically disadvantaged communities, while growing our economy," said Alexis Strauss, Acting Regional Administrator for EPA's Pacific Southwest Region. "Public-private partnerships like the West Coast Collaborative are leading the way on reducing harmful diesel emissions and creating jobs.”
The DERA program is administered by EPA's West Coast Collaborative, a clean air public-private partnership that leverages public and private funds to reduce emissions from the most polluting diesel sources in impacted communities in West Coast states and U.S. Territories.
Award recipient in American Samoa:
American Samoa Power Authority was awarded $82,960 to help two American Samoa islands (Ofu and Olosega) operate with 100% renewable energy. This grant funds second phase of a project EPA funded in 2015 for replacement of a diesel-powered stationary generator with a battery storage energy system. This funding will include engine replacements, idle reduction and retrofit technologies to clean up older diesel engines.
Including the grant award to American Samoa, EPA has awarded nearly $12.5 million in DERA funding to recipients in Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington to reduce diesel emissions from large diesel sources, such as trucks, buses, agriculture and port equipment. These projects will improve air quality by reducing over 3,000 tons of nitrogen oxide and 200 tons of particulate matter from over 350 medium and heavy duty diesel engines.
Reducing particulate matter emissions has important public health and air quality benefits and reduces black carbon.
To learn more about all of this year's West Coast Collaborative DERA projects, visit: http://www.westcoastcollaborative.org.
For more information about EPA's National Clean Diesel campaign and the national DERA awards, visit www.epa.gov/cleandiesel.
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