Group Will Help Contractors Cut Emissions From Bulldozers, Forklifts and Other Heavy Construction Equipment & Reduce Diesel Fuel Consumption
Kentucky and western-Pennsylvania-based chapters belonging to the Associated General Contractors of America will invest nearly $3.7 million this year to cut diesel emissions from construction equipment currently. The groups are making the investment to improve air quality thanks to almost $3 million in new federal grants they were awarded under the EPA's National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program.
"Contractors may be busy rebuilding our economy, but they are still committed to protecting the environment," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the national association's chief executive officer. "This isn't just an investment in cleaner diesel technology; it is a down payment on a greener future."
Íæż½ã½ã of Kentucky will use $2 million in federal funds, as well as an additional $466,000 in matching and in-kind contributions, to help construction companies in Kentucky retrofit off-road diesel equipment with exhaust control technologies designed to reduce particulate emissions. The group also will use the funds to train equipment operators to reduce diesel emissions by running equipment less often and more efficiently.
The Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania will use $925,000 in federal funds, as well as an additional $260,833 in local contributions, to help construction companies in western Pennsylvania retrofit over 20 pieces of off-road diesel equipment with cleaner engines and exhaust control technologies. Those retrofits alone will save an estimated 28 tons of emissions each year, Sandherr noted.
"It should come as a surprise to no one that the industry that's building a greener future for our economy is investing in a cleaner environment for today," said Sandherr. "Our goal is clear, to make moving dirt, digging foundations and pouring cement as clean as possible."
Sandherr said that the construction industry was investing in cleaner equipment to build on its already impressive record safeguarding the environment. He noted for example that while the construction industry accounts for more than 8 percent of national GDP, its equipment contributes less than 1 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.
He added that the EPA has awarded a total of $156 million in clean diesel grants to eligible entities like Íæż½ã½ã chapters to help construction companies, among others, reduce emissions from their fleets. The national association helped the Kentucky and western Pennsylvania chapters, as well as 13 other Íæż½ã½ã chapters, prepare and submit applications for the federal clean diesel funding.
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