The Air Quality Management District (Air District) issued a call for grant applications for the 2008 Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program (Carl Moyer Program), a grant program funded by the state to reduce air pollution emissions from diesel engines. Before April 4, 2008, public and private entities can apply for funds to retrofit or replace engines to reduce emissions beyond what is required by law.
"Emissions from aging heavy-duty engines are a major source of Bay Area air pollution," said Air District Executive Officer Jack P. Broadbent. "The Carl Moyer Program helps local businesses protect the air by cleaning up dirty engines that would otherwise pollute for years to come."
Projects reducing emissions in communities impacted most from diesel engine pollution will be targeted for participation in the Carl Moyer Program and will be given priority for grant fund allocations. The Carl Moyer Program is the first in a systematic targeting of Air District incentive programs towards the reduction of air pollution in these areas. The Air District has developed a preliminary emissions inventory of diesel engine pollution and compiled demographic and health-statistics data to help identify highly impacted areas.
More than $12 million in Carl Moyer Program funding will be available this year to upgrade vehicles and machinery with heavy-duty engines that operate within the Air District's boundaries. This includes trucks, marine vessels, construction, and airport ground support equipment, locomotives, and agricultural irrigation pumps.
For more information about the program, see www.baaqmd.gov/moyer or www.baaqmd.gov.