The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Division of Air Quality has awarded $937,854 in grants for projects to reduce air pollution from diesel-powered mobile sources. These projects will replace 11 vehicles with cleaner alternatives, reducing estimated emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 23.5 tons over their lifetimes.

Mobile sources are any type of vehicle that can pollute the air, including automobiles, trucks, buses, locomotives, motorcycles, off-road vehicles, construction equipment and lawnmowers. After reviewing the proposals, the Division awarded 2021 Mobile Source Emissions Reduction grants to the following projects:

Applicant: Town of Chapel Hill County: Orange Grant Award: $211,740 Project Summary: Replaces one diesel refuse truck with a new electric refuse truck. This project eliminates the greenhouse gas emissions and 0.3 tons of NOx emissions associated with an internal combustion engine.

Applicant: Hirschbach Motor Lines County: Bladen Grant Award: $152,460 Project Summary: Replaces two diesel yard spotters with two electric yard spotters. This project eliminates the greenhouse gas emissions and 0.9 tons of NOx emissions associated with internal combustion engines.

Applicant: Estes Express County: Mecklenburg Grant Award: $130,500 Project Summary: Replaces a diesel yard tractor with an electric yard tractor. This project eliminates the greenhouse gas emissions and 5.1 tons of NOx emissions associated with an internal combustion engine.

Applicant: City of Greensboro County: Guilford Grant Award: $125,000 Project Summary: Replaces a diesel front-end loader with new, cleaner technology. This project reduces NOx emissions by 2.4 tons.

Applicant: City of Greensboro County: Guilford Grant Award: $122,240 Project Summary: Replaces a diesel dozer with new, cleaner technology. This project reduces NOx emissions by 2.2 tons.

Applicant: Southeast Crescent Shipping County: New Hanover Grant Award: $92,710 Project Summary: Replaces a diesel forklift with new, cleaner technology. This project reduces NOx emissions by 7.6 tons.

Applicant: Estes Express County: Cleveland and Cumberland Grant Award: $50,740 Project Summary: Replaces two diesel short-haul combination trucks with new, cleaner technology. This project reduces NOx emissions by 4.3 tons.

Applicant: Greenville Utilities Commission County: Pitt Grant Award: $34,150 Project Summary: Replaces a wire wheel loader with new, cleaner technology. This project reduces NOx emissions by 0.5 tons.

Applicant: Caps Marine County: Currituck Grant Award: $18,250 Project Summary: Replaces a Tier 1 skid loader with a Tier 4 track loader with new, cleaner technology. This project reduces NOx emissions by 0.15 tons.

DEQ is awarding the grants through the Mobile Source Emissions Reduction program, which is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program. The purpose of the DERA program is to support projects designed to achieve significant diesel emissions reductions. DERA funds are supplemented with North Carolina Volkswagen Mitigation Trust funds.

For more information about the Mobile Sources Emissions Reduction grant program, please visit the state Division of Air Quality’s website at: https://deq.nc.gov/DERA or email daq.mscb.ncdaqgrants@ncdenr.gov.