Program Description:   

Diesel engines emit large amounts of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and air toxics, which contribute to serious public health problems, including asthma, lung cancer and various other cardiac and respiratory diseases. The program’s goal is to accelerate emission reductions from older diesel engines to provide more immediate air quality benefits and improve public health while using Recovery Act funding to maximize job preservation and/or creation and economic recovery.

Public health benefits are immediate when emissions control strategies are applied to older diesel engines. Diesel retrofit technologies reduce pollution from the existing diesel engine fleet by up to 90% for PM, up to 50% for NOx, and up to 90% for volatile organic compounds. In 2008, DERA’s (Diesel Emission Grants) first year of operation, the nearly $50 million funding translated into a significant public health benefit of approximately $580 million to $1.4 billion in quantifiable PM-related health benefits.

The City of Albuquerque's Vehicle Pollution Management Division works to protect the environment of Albuquerque and Bernalillo County and the health of citizens by developing and implementing programs that effectively reduce motor vehicle emissions.

Funding Category: 

Energy

Program Funding Allocated:

$583,125

Local Recovery Projects:

Airport Ground Support Equipment Electrification