NEW! 

County Receives
Stimulus Funding
for GRADE+

Mecklenburg County Air Quality (MCAQ) recently received funding to expand and enhance its successful GRADE (Grants to Replace Aging Diesel Engines) project. For 2 years, MCAQ has administered a sub-grant program to provide incentive funding to organizations that replace, re-power, or retrofit their heavy-duty non-road construction equipment. With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act MCAQ will enhance this already successful project by:

Expanding beyond just construction equipment to include all non-road diesels (construction, agricultural, industrial, commercial etc.)

• Expanding the eligible region from 7 counties in North Carolina to 13 counties in both North and South Carolina (EPA's presumptive non-attainment boundary for the 2008 ozone standard)
• Adding highway diesel vehicles and
• Adding including stationary diesel generators, engines and pumps.

GRADE+ Applications accepted September 1, 2009 - October 31, 2009.

More Information on GRADE+ and to submit an application 

 

GRADE+ specifically targets nitrogen oxides (NOx) that contribute to the ozone problem in the Charlotte region. Any company that operates eligible equipment the 13 county region is eligible to apply for funding to clean up that equipment.

Since its inaugural year in 2007, GRADE…

• Awarded $850,000 to worthy projects
• Selected 43 pieces of non-road construction equipment for upgrades
• Funded projects in all 7 of the NC counties in the Charlotte ozone non-attainment region
• Achieved a cost effectiveness of less than $3,500/ton of NOx reduced
• Removed 255 tons of NOx from our air over the next five years as a result of the selected projects

GRADE+ Eligible projects fall into 2 categories:

1. 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.
   
2. Equipment Re-power - the old engine is removed from a piece of equipment and permanently destroyed. A new or newer engine is installed in its place.

Questions?

Contact the Mobile Sources Group, Mecklenburg County Air Quality
at 704-336-5430 or email us.