BISMARCK – Cities, counties and other government agencies that conduct work for the benefit of the public and require diesel-powered vehicles are encouraged to apply for State Clean Diesel Grant awards.

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality has released the annual State Clean Diesel Grant Program applications.

The NDDEQ will issue about $315,000 in awards funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the purchase of new or newer diesel-powered vehicles and equipment. The purpose of the funding is to reduce diesel emissions in accordance with the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act of the Energy Policy Act of 2010. To date, 81 older vehicles in North Dakota have been replaced using this funding, with a reduction in air emissions of about 250 tons over the lifetime of those vehicles.

The application and program guidelines are available at https://deq.nd.gov/AQ/News.aspx. Applications can be mailed to the Division of Air Quality, 918 E Divide Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501-1947 or emailed to airquality@nd.gov. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. CT on March 20.