Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $19.6 million to fund 18 clean transportation technology projects spread across 15 counties, part of a continuing push to cut diesel pollution tied to freight and cargo transportation. The money is aimed squarely at communities that officials describe as disproportionately affected by that kind of pollution, from Philadelphia to Allegheny County.
The grants, announced Thursday, were distributed across Allegheny, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Centre, Clearfield, Columbia, Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and Westmoreland counties, according to PA Environment Digest. DEP says the projects are intended to reduce diesel emissions from freight and cargo transportation sources specifically in communities that bear an outsized share of that pollution burden.
DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley framed the funding as part of a broader strategy to wean the state’s transportation sector off older diesel technology. “With the help of the PA-FIT grants we can help organizations reduce polluting emissions from diesel engines,” Shirley said, adding that the program invests in alternative transportation clean technologies and Pennsylvania communities.
What the Grants Are Expected to Accomplish
DEP estimates the 18 projects will cut nitrogen oxide emissions by roughly 88 tons per year once implemented. Nitrogen oxides are described by the agency as the gases most relevant to air pollution. The same round of projects is expected to reduce particulate matter, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide by a combined 34 tons annually, per the project estimates cited in the announcement…