EPA has provided the funding to the Kern County superintendent of Schools, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and to the California Air Resources Board under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The funding will be used by these organizations to replace hundreds of diesel vehicles and equipment, including school buses, long-haul trucks, and agriculture and construction equipment to cut emission.
The retrofits are expected to save more than 1,800 tons of particulate matter, over 37,000 tons of nitrous oxide (NOx) and close to 3 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.
California’s San Joaquin Valley has received over $29m from EPA since 2009 to improve air quality through various retrofit projects and development and deployment of clean air technologies to reduce emissions.
EPA regional administrator of Pacific Southwest Region Jared Blumenfeld said that funding to Kern County Schools will reduce harmful tailpipe exhaust from school buses, so our children can breathe easier.
“The San Joaquin Valley is burdened by some of the worst air quality in the country, and improving it is an urgent priority for EPA,” Blumenfeld said.
