Chittenden Solid Waste District Grant to Fund CNG Vehicles
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, through the 2008 Northeast Diesel Collaborative Emissions Reduction Grant Program, awarded $205,523 to the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD) to replace three diesel vehicles from model years 1994-98 with new compressed natural gas (CNG) models, according to a Feb. 26 press release.
Through this grant, CSWD will partner with refuse haulers to facilitate the early replacement of three 1998 and older diesel vehicles with new CNG models. EPA funds will cover up to 25 percent of the cost of the new vehicle.
"The lifetime cancer risk from diesel soot in Chittenden County exceeds the risk of all other air toxics tracked by the EPA combined," said Tom Moreau, CSWD general manager. "This grant will help purchase compressed natural gas replacement vehicles for three diesel solid waste collection trucks resulting in reductions in emissions of over 75 percent and in petroleum fuel consumption of over 27,000 gallons."