MEI will utilize the grant to install more than 230 engines and exhaust retrofit technologies, such as diesel oxidation catalysts and diesel particulate filters, on school buses, heavy duty trucks and construction equipment across Minnesota.
The grant will also be used for the repowering of seven pieces of construction equipment, including front-end loaders and cranes with new EPA-certified diesel engines to reduce emissions generated from operating this equipment.
Further, MEI, in an attempt to cut diesel emissions, will also deploy heavy-duty and construction fleets for work on the Central Corridor Light Rail Transit Project, designed for connecting the cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
All these actions are expected to prevent approximately 11 tons of nitrogen oxides, 4 tons of particulate matter, 10 tons of hydrocarbons and 36 tons of carbon monoxide from entering the environment annually.
MEI, which brings together nonprofits, businesses and government agencies to address Minnesota’s environmental problems, will implement its efforts to reduce diesel pollution through its program, Project Green Fleet.
