Patrick Administration Receives $1.73 Million in Recovery Act Funds to Reduce Diesel Pollution from Locomotives, Truck Fleets and Fishing Boats

EPA Grant Will Expand Commonwealth's Innovative 'MassCleanDiesel' Program

Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles (center) discusses $1.73 million in diesel pollution reduction grants presented to the Commonwealth this year by US EPA. Shown at the announcement, in front of the MBTA's new clean diesel engine are (l-r): Senator Marian Walsh, EPA Region 1 Acting Administrator Ira Leighton, MassDEP Deputy Commissioner Lucy Edmondson, Bowles, City of Boston Environmental Chief James Hunt, MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas, and Rep. Paul McMurtry. City of Boston Environmental Chief James Hunt (center) discusses the positive impacts of diesel emission reductions during the recent grant announcement in the Readville rail yard in Hyde Park. Shown (l-r) are: EPA Region 1 Acting Administrator Ira Leighton, MassDEP Deputy Commissioner Lucy Edmondson, Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, and Boston City Councilor Robert Consalvo.

These funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will support projects that address diesel emissions from locomotives, trash and recycling trucks, and fishing boats, and will also be used to promote the purchase of cleaner running hybrid trucks. The grants were announced today at the MBTA's Readville train yard in Hyde Park.

This effort builds on the MassCleanDiesel "Clean Air for Kids" school bus retrofit program announced by Governor Deval Patrick in June 2008, as well as on programs requiring diesel filter retrofits on off-road construction equipment. Administered by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the statewide clean diesel program is expected to achieve a 75 percent reduction in fine particle emissions by 2020.

"With MassCleanDiesel, Massachusetts has become a national leader in reducing harmful diesel emissions from buses, trucks and construction engines," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles. "This $1.73 million Recovery Act grant will expand our efforts, allowing the Commonwealth to further reduce diesel pollution from significant emission sources while also creating jobs with equipment retrofits."

"It is our responsibility to reduce harmful pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector," said Transportation Secretary Aloisi. "Today, we send the message that our transportation system should do everything it can to support clean, healthy and livable communities."

The federal Recovery Act funds will be used to:

• Repower engines of 11 MBTA locomotives to reduce particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions - which contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems - at a cost of $1.1 million.
• Complete the electrification project at the Massport Fish Pier in South Boston, which will supply electrical power to berths so that boats docked there do not have to run their diesel generators; $100,000 will complement a $400,000 grant from EPA in 2008.
• Retrofit municipal and private waste-hauler vehicles with pollution control devices, reducing diesel pollution in neighborhoods where these fleets operate; $115,000 will be used for this project.
• Fund the purchase of diesel hybrid trucks by municipalities and other fleets, as advanced technologies are important to ensure the use of the cleanest vehicles in the future; $160,000 will be used for this project.

"Under MassCleanDiesel, one of our goals is to protect sensitive populations in environmental justice communities and areas of high asthma rates," said MassDEP Commissioner Laurie Burt. "We are already addressing diesel emissions from school and transit buses, construction vehicles, and with local anti-idling efforts. This grant brings waste and utility trucks, locomotive engines and fishing boats into our comprehensive initiative."

Pleased with the recently awarded grant, MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas praised the continued support from the EPA and MassDEP. "We strive to do more for the environment," said General Manager Grabauskas. "These partnerships promote a shared responsibility to maintaining a clean environment. With each other's support environmental improvements throughout the Commonwealth can be realized."  

"The additional grant money is terrific news for the Port of Boston as it gives us the opportunity to fully electrify all of our Fish Pier berths," said Michael A. Leone, Massport's Port Director. "We are pleased to partner with MassDEP on this program that will reduce the impact of our port operations and allow fishermen to conduct their business in a more energy efficient and cost effective manner."

"This Recovery Act funding will provide a great boost to Clean Air investments in Massachusetts," said Ira Leighton, acting regional administrator for EPA's New England office. "This money will help the state to bolster its economy, protect public health and create green jobs that improve air quality."

"Mass transit is one of the most environmentally sound choices for commuting into the city of Boston, but emissions from diesel engines can still impact local air quality and public health," said Boston Chief of Environment and Energy James Hunt. "Mayor Menino and I applaud the MBTA, the Patrick-Murray Administration, and the EPA for forging this unique partnership to further improve air quality in our neighborhoods. Our air pollution reduction initiatives are helping local residents breathe little easier."

Last June, Governor Patrick announced the MassCleanDiesel - Clean Air for Kids campaign. The program provides 100 percent funding to all eligible publicly and privately owned school buses to install diesel retrofit devices and will improve public health for school children and local residents exposed to pollution from school buses.

So far under this school bus program, over 1,600 buses are in the system for retrofit installations. Under this program, up to 6,000 school buses and regional transit buses are eligible for diesel retrofits.

Pollution reduction investments are a critical component of Governor Patrick's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, which combines state, federal and, where possible, private efforts to provide immediate and long-term relief and position the Commonwealth for recovery in the following ways:

• Deliver immediate relief by investing in transportation and pollution-reduction projects that put people to work today and providing safety net services that sustain people who are especially vulnerable during an economic crisis;
• Build a better and healthier tomorrow through investments that strengthen our economic competitiveness, prepare workers for the jobs of the future and support clean energy and a cleaner environment; and
• Reform state government by eliminating the pension and ethics loopholes that discredit the work of government and revitalize the transportation networks that have suffered from decades of neglect and inaction.

Governor Patrick played a key role in developing the federal recovery law's State Stabilization Fund that is now being used to shore up state funding, as well as to prevent layoffs and cutbacks in other critical areas of government during the recession. For more information about what the federal recovery law means for Massachusetts, please visit: www.mass.gov/recovery.

To see some examples of the projects benefiting from recovery law funding, please go to the Governor's press release page, or the recovery page.

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