The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) is offering Nevada agencies and businesses up to $8 million in grants to help replace diesel-powered vehicles and equipment — including freight trucks, delivery trucks, school buses and transit buses — with low and zero-emission alternatives to reduce air pollution.
Grant applications are being accepted through Jan. 31. Apply online here or send your application to NevadaDEMF@ndep.nv.gov.
“Reducing pollution from diesel engines is a critical part of protecting the health of all Nevadans, and especially children and the elderly, who are the most sensitive to pollution from diesel emissions,” NDEP Administrator Greg Lovato said in a Jan. 5 press release. “NDEP is looking forward to investing VW grant funding into projects that will help the Silver State drive toward a healthy, climate-resilient future.”
The grant opportunities are funded by a $25 million VW Settlement awarded to Nevada in 2017 after the auto company was found guilty of installing devices on its diesel vehicles to cheat emissions tests, according to the release.
Administered by NDEP, Nevada’s VW Settlement funds provide grants to help replace diesel engines with cleaner alternatives and technologies that reduce harmful air pollutants such as nitrogen oxide (NOx), particulate matter, and greenhouse gases.
“To date, NDEP has provided over $16.5 million in VW funds for projects that will collectively eliminate more than 800 tons of NOx vehicle pollution statewide, nearly one-and-a-half times the amount of NOx emitted by all VW cheating vehicles operating in Nevada,” per the release.
