Bay Area Air District Scores $1.18 Million In New Grants

BAY AREA, CA – As part of its efforts to reduce air pollution in the region, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District this week announced the award of $1.18 million for projects that will provide long-lasting air quality benefits in the region.

Additional funding will be awarded later this fiscal year for a wide-range of clean transportation projects including, replacement of dirty diesel engines in trucks, buses, locomotives, boats and agricultural equipment, and the installation of electric vehicle charging stations.

“Effective air pollution control requires a flexible ‘carrot and stick’ approach, with enforceable regulations on the one hand and financial incentives on the other,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “Air District grant programs not only safeguard public health, but foster a variety of innovative approaches which can be modeled throughout the nation.”

Grant funding will also be available for infrastructure improvements that help reduce single-occupancy vehicle trips, including shuttle and ridesharing services, bicycle parking, and autonomous electric-transit vehicles.

Recently approved projects include:

Carl Moyer Program awarded - Four projects with awards totaling over $580,000, to replace five tractors and six boats with cleaner alternatives. These projects are expected to reduce more than 2.7 tons of nitrogen oxides, or NOx, reactive organic gases, or ROG, and particulate matter, or PM, emissions per year. This is equivalent to the reduction of more than 6.8 million vehicle-miles traveled annually.

Transportation Fund for Clean Air awarded - Two projects with awards totaling more than $600,000 that will replace 10 diesel buses with zero-emission battery electric 40-foot buses, and deploy two new zero-emission battery electric 35-foot buses. These projects will reduce more than 1.65 tons of NOx, ROG and PM emissions per year. This is equivalent to removing more than 320 cars from the road.

Mobile Source Incentive Fund allocation – The Air District allocated an additional $1.5 million in funding to support additional CNG school bus tank replacement projects to be awarded in early 2017.

The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area.

• Also see: Halloween Weekend In NorCal: Hay & Corn Mazes; Pet & Costume Parades, Dances; Festivals; Trunk-or-Treating; Pub Crawl

--Patch image via Renee Schiavone