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Grant PUD “muffles” diesel emissions with DOE grant funding
May 27, 2008
EPHRATA, WA – Grant County PUD is improving air quality conditions for local communities and those who work around diesel vehicles by reducing diesel emissions through a Washington State Department of Ecology grant program. The Washington State Clean Diesel Grant Program is expected to reduce toxic emissions from diesel exhaust fumes on 38 Grant PUD heavy-duty trucks by 50 to 90 percent.
Grant funding provides $60,000 to cover parts and labor for replacement of existing mufflers on all Grant PUD heavy-duty diesel trucks with engines over 75 horsepower. The new muffler technology utilizes diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters that capture significantly more pollutants and fine particulates than the factory-installed mufflers. No matching funds are required.
Because diesel exhaust is one of the most toxic forms of air pollution, Department of Ecology implemented the Washington State Clean Diesel Grant Program to improve emissions of public fleets and some privately owned equipment and vehicles. The program has helped reduce pollution from more than 7,000 heavy-duty vehicles statewide.
By rotating Grant PUD trucks out of service over the coming months, the retrofit work by an outside contractor will be completed by spring of 2009. Trucks scheduled for the work include line trucks and mobile cranes.
“We are pleased to receive this Department of Ecology grant, which allows us to enhance air quality for Grant County communities and our employees,” stated Grant PUD Support Services Manager Craig Weddle. “The schedule and funding allows completion of the work without impact to our line crews' work flow or our customers.”
More information on the grant program is available on the Department of Ecology’s Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/air/cars/DieselGrantPage.htm
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Grant County Public Utility District is a Washington state municipal corporation that began electric service in 1942. Owned by the people it serves, Grant PUD generates and sells electricity to Grant County residents and millions of customers throughout Central Washington and the Pacific Northwest. The Priest Rapids Project, comprised of Priest Rapids and Wanapum Dams, produces nearly 2,000 megawatts of clean, renewable and reliable electricity – enough to supply a city the size of Seattle. A leader in science based technology; Grant PUD is committed to finding effective measures for the protection, mitigation and enhancement of salmon, steelhead and other natural and cultural resources.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Dorothy Harris
(509) 793-1516 / dharris@gcpud.org
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