Tribal and insular areas will establish lower-emission diesel projects with a $5.4 million grant from the EPA. In total, 12 Tribal and insular area assistance agreements are expected to be awarded as part of the Diesel Emissions Reduction (DERA) program, which funds projects to clean up the nation’s legacy fleet of diesel engines.
The DERA Tribal and Insular Area Grants program gives priority to diesel projects which achieve significant reductions in emissions and exposure in areas designated as having poor air quality. Priority for funding is given to projects that address the needs and concerns of local communities, those that use partnerships to leverage additional resources and expertise to advance the goals of the project, and those which can demonstrate the ability to promote and continue efforts to reduce emissions after the project has ended.
Older diesel engines emit more air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter than newer diesel engines. The projects include replacing municipal trucks, marine engines used in fishing vessels, generators used for energy production in Tribal villages and four new electric school buses. Tribal projects will occur in areas across the country.
The DERA program aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities. Recognizing that Tribes and insular areas have various administrative, technical, and financial considerations that other DERA National grant program applicants may not, EPA established a separate funding opportunity with flexibilities to address the unique considerations of Tribal and insular area applicants. In 2021, EPA offered the first DERA Tribal and Insular Area Request for Applications (RFA) with no mandatory cost share. Although funds were competed under a single RFA, Tribal applicants only competed against Tribal applicants, and insular areas only competed against other insular area applicants. The 2021 competitive process saw more Tribal application submissions than in any previous year, with 15 completely new Tribal applicants.
This is one of many of President Biden’s initiatives to protect the environment. These goals include actions like the US Army drafting its first ever Climate Strategy , and the EPA developing a screening methodology that will be used to further examine whether the policy decision to exclude air and water exposure pathways from the risk evaluations will lead to a failure to identify and protect fenceline communities.
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