** GRADE KEEPS ROLLING! **
Many of the 2007 GRADE projects are now underway and we are gearing up for GRADE 2008.
Now is the time for your company to think about how it can use Grants to Replace Aging Diesel Engines (GRADE) to clean up your offroad construction equipment.
Mecklenburg County Air Quality has submitted a grant application to the North Carolina Division of Air Quality, made a request to the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners for funding and applied for federal funds from USEPA this summer. If you would like to help us make GRADE a success, please send us an
email and let us know why your company supports GRADE.
Check back soon to see the latest news on our efforts. Until then, see EPA's recent suggestions on how your company can benefit from
cleaner diesel while we all benefit from cleaner air!
TONS OF AIR POLLUTION
REDUCTIONS EXPECTED
FROM
GRADE WINNERS
The "Grants to Replace Aging Diesel Engines" (GRADE) award recipients have been selected! The number and quality of applications submitted in this initial round of funding far exceeded expectations. In its inaugural year, GRADE…
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Awarded $683,446 to worthy projects
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Selected 16 pieces of nonroad construction equipment for upgrades
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Funded projects in all 7 of the NC counties in the Charlotte ozone nonattainment region
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Achieved a cost effectiveness of less than $14,000/ton of NOx reduced
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Removed 49 tons of NOx from our air over the next five years as a result of the selected projects
Mecklenburg County Air Quality is pleased to announce that the following companies/organizations have been selected to receive GRADE funding for their nonroad construction equipment project(s):
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Blythe Development Company
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Culp Brothers Grading
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Gaston County Solid Waste and Recycling
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Hoopaugh Grading
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J O Flowe Grading
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McCleod Construction
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McWhirter Grading Company
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Okuma America Corporation
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Rea Contracting
In 2007, GRADE was funded by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners and the North Carolina Division of Air Quality. We would like to express our thanks to these organizations for their vision and focus on helping the Charlotte region work towards cleaner air through a targeted, cost effective and quantifiable project.
** GRADE SEEKS SECOND ROUND OF FUNDING **
Air Quality staff is currently working diligently to secure additional local, state and federal funds to continue GRADE. If you have ideas for funding sources, please contact Alan Giles at (704) 336-5340. This project is vital to our region as we are struggling to meet the existing federal health standard for ozone and expecting a tightening of that standard to be announced in the near future.
*** CHECK BACK MONTHLY FOR GRADE UPDATES ***
The GRADE project is brought to you by Mecklenburg County Air Quality through funding from the North Carolina Division of Air Quality and the Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners. GRADE provides funding to owners of nonroad construction equipment who voluntarily replace aging equipment with newer models, replace old engines in equipment with newer models, or install auxiliary pollution control devices to their equipment that reduce nitrogen oxides.
Applications are no longer being accepted (10/2/07).
Check back for future grant opportunities.
Eligible projects fall into 3 categories:
- Equipment Replacement - an old piece of equipment is permanently retired and replaced with a new or newer piece of equipment that has a cleaner engine.
- Equipment Repower - the old engine is removed from a piece of equipment and permanently destroyed. A new or newer engine is installed in its place.
- Equipment Retrofit - an auxiliary emission control device is installed on the equipment.
Resources for interested equipment owners:
If you have questions or want more information contact the Mobile Sources Group with Mecklenburg County Air Quality at 704-336-5430.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What retrofit technologies are eligible for funding under GRADE?
A. For a list of verified retrofit technologies, visit the verification websites for the California Air Resources Board and the US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrofit technologies must be verified to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) to be eligible.
