The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selected Utah as one of 27 grant recipients to address air pollution caused by school buses and other heavy-duty vehicles.
The Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Program was established through the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022. The program will distribute a total of $1 billion through 2032 to replace fossil fuel heavy-duty vehicles (such as school buses, garbage trucks, transit buses, and more) with zero-emission vehicles, as well as support the build-out of charging infrastructure and invest in the workforce.
In Utah, the Division of Air Quality was selected to receive $60 million to further its mission to get some of the heaviest polluters off the road through its Clean Fleet Program.
Under that program, fleet owners are eligible to receive up to 45% in reimbursement costs.
It targets:
- On-highway, Class 5-8 diesel vehicles, engine model years 2009 and older.
- School, shuttle, and transit buses.
- Medium-heavy-duty or heavy-heavy-duty diesel trucks.
“This significant investment in zero-emission vehicles and infrastructure is yet another transformative step toward cleaner air and healthier communities across Utah,” said Bryce Bird, director of the Utah Division of Air Quality. “We’re also grateful to the fleet managers that have and will partner with us with their investment in this effort. By replacing their older, high-emission vehicles with cutting-edge electric alternatives, they are not only reducing harmful pollutants but also advancing innovative solutions that support our economy and improve the quality of life for all Utahns.”
As an example, Geneva Rock became the first company of its kind in 2017 when, as part of an overall $30 million investment, it embraced a fleet of more than two dozen compressed natural gas ready-mix cement trucks along with a refueling station. The investment was the equivalent of taking 8,000 cars a year off Utah’s roads.
“EPA continues to support the comprehensive investments Utah is making in cleaner transportation and vehicles, which remain among the largest opportunities to improve air quality by eliminating emissions of nitrogen oxides and other harmful compounds,” said EPA regional administrator KC Becker. “By accelerating the transition to clean heavy-duty buses, vans and trucks, these grants will bring healthier air to communities across the state.”
Across the nation, over three million Class 6 and Class 7 vehicles are currently in use, spanning a wide variety of vehicle types and vocations. Many of these are older vehicles that emit higher levels of harmful pollutants like nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter, and greenhouse gases than newer vehicles.
The EPA says this pollution is associated with respiratory and cardiovascular disease, among other serious health problems. Children, older adults, those with preexisting cardiopulmonary disease, and those of lower socioeconomic status are particularly vulnerable to these health impacts. Cleaning up pollution from heavy-duty vehicles helps protect the health of 72 million people living near truck freight routes in the U.S., especially in the Salt Lake City area.
WM, or Waste Management Inc., has also been a leader in this arena.
According to a Forbes article, the company operates the largest heavy-duty compressed natural gas fleet of its kind in North America to substantially reduce emissions.