State environmental officials have $517,500 available for rebates on equipment and new long-haul trucks that reduce emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines, with funds provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009.
The Environmental Protection Agency allocated ARRA - Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, or DERA, funding to the states as part of the national economic stimulus plan. The N.C. Division of Air Quality is coordinating the rebate program in North Carolina. DAQ is administering more than $1.7 million in ARRA funds for various air-related projects.
The rebates are available for qualified truckers who purchase auxiliary power units, or APUs, or replace heavy-duty diesel trucks with 2010 compliant vehicles. APUs are electric or low-emission engines that truckers can use to power heaters, air conditioners and other in-cab accessories rather than idling their diesel engines.
The ARRA-DERA funds are directed at older vehicles and equipment with diesel engines because they often lack the most up-to-date air pollution controls. Older diesel engines contribute significantly to air pollution in North Carolina and other states.
“This rebate program is part of our efforts to reduce pollution from diesel-powered highway vehicles,” said Keith Overcash, director of the N.C. Division of Air Quality. “Diesel engines are significant sources of emissions that contribute to ozone and particle pollution in North Carolina.”
Rebates will be available until the funds are expended or Sept. 30, 2010, whichever comes first. Individual rebates may total up to $2,500 for APUs purchased and installed in North Carolina after Jan. 1, 2009. Rebates for heavy-duty diesel trucks may total up to $5,000 for 2010 compliant vehicles registered in North Carolina. Companies are allowed up to three APU rebates and two compliant truck rebates.
Mobile sources such as cars, trucks, ships and construction equipment contribute about 69 percent of the nitrogen oxides (NOx), 63 percent of the man-made volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and 8 percent of the direct fine-particle emissions (PM 2.5) in North Carolina. NOx and VOCs are the main contributors to ozone, which is unhealthy to breathe and is the state’s most widespread air quality problem in the summer months. Particle pollution is unhealthy to breathe and contributes to haze.
For further information and applications for the ARRA-DERA rebates for diesel equipment, visit the state Division of Air Quality’s Web site at: http://www.ncair.org/motor/Rebates/ . For further information on economic recovery funding for environmental efforts, please visit http://portal.ncdenr.org/web/arra/home .
More information about other air quality issues in North Carolina can be found at the DAQ Web site, www.ncair.org.
