The Iowa Department of Transportation has awarded $837,840 in funding for 10 Diesel Emission Reduction (DERA) program projects.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is authorized as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to support programs administered by eligible states that are designed to achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions among on-road or non-road vehicles and equipment, including school buses, medium- and heavy-duty transit buses and trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and nonroad engines, equipment, or vehicles.

Applications for the Iowa DERA program were received in December from private organizations, counties, and school districts that own and operate diesel fleets or equipment in Iowa. Iowa DOT will be awarding participant support costs to fund participating school districts, private and public entities vehicle replacement costs. All awarded projects are subject to the DERA funding limits and mandatory cost-share requirements.

A full listing of the awarded projects is available on the program website at https://iowadot.gov/dera/. The next DERA funding cycle is expected in Fall 2021.