The agreement provides funding to columbia-willamette clean cities coalition (cwcc)

This Project Grant award, provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants program (CFDA 66.039), is funding the replacement of 8 pieces of diesel equipment at the Everett Port Facilities in Middlesex, Massachusetts. The $6,279,999 award will enable the Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition (CWCC) to replace 3 excavators and 5 dump trucks/tenders owned and operated by the sub-awardee, Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. This equipment modernization project is expected to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 86 tons and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 1,899 tons over the lifetime of the new Tier 4, EPA-certified, ultra-low-sulfur diesel equipment. The award period runs from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2026.

This project is designed to modernize the nation's diesel engine fleet by replacing outdated diesel equipment with new, tier 4, EPA certified, ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ulsd) equipment at the schnitzer steel industries, INC. (schnitzer) (sub-awardee) facility at everett port facilities in middlesex, massachusetts. The initiative will replace old heavily polluting equipment with clean machinery including three (3) excavators and five (5) dumpers/tender, to enhance operational efficiency and compliance with current environmental standards, mitigating more than 86 tons of nitrogen oxide (NOX) emissions and 1,899 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the equipment lifetime. Beneficiaries include the coastal communities in proximity to the ports of boston, massachusetts and middlesex county. Activities:the activities include replacing existing lower tier engine equipment in three (3) excavators and five (5) dumpers/tender with new tier 4, EPA certified, ultra-low-sulfur diesel equipment. The equipment is owned and operated by schnitzer steel industries, INC. And services the everett port facilities in middlesex county, massachusetts. The project will be administered by the recipient, columbia-willamette clean cities coalition. Subrecipient:the columbia-willamette clean cities coalition will also issue a subaward to schnitzer steel industries, INC. That incorporates all the required grant terms and conditions. Schnitzer will serve as a sub-awardee and purchase, operate, and own all the proposed equipment. As a sub-awardee, schnitzer will undertake the vehicle replacement process through multiple steps including completing a competitive bid process for the equipment and choosing a preferred original equipment manufacturer (OEM) by quarter 4 (Q4) 2024 (task 2). Equipment orders (task 3) are expected to be placed by Q1 2025 with delivery expected by Q3 2025.outcomes:short term activities include a) vehicle replacements for eight (8) vehicles including 3 excavators and 5 dumpers/tenders, b) community engagement, and c) updated emissions inventories. To facilitate the community engagement, columbia-willamette clean cities coalition (cwcc) and schnitzer (sub-awardee) will both list the project point of contact on their website and in all community dissemination documentation such as newsletters and emails. Schnitzer commits to continuing its annual organization-wide emissions inventory for nitrogen oxides (NOX) during the project performance period and commits to adding inventories for particulate matter (PM2.5). Outputs for these activities include the 6 vehicles replaced, an annual updated mobile emissions inventory, and a quarterly newsletter distribution to the cwcc community. Longer-term outcomes include d) the dissemination of project information, e) air quality and health improvements, f) reduced footprint of recycled materials, and the g) reduction in lifecycle footprint of downstream products. For dissemination, the applicant team will share project information, results, outcomes and impacts via both cwcc and schnitzer's website. This project will result in meaningful reductions of both NOX and PM2.5 emissions, thereby improving local ambient air quality and reducing negative health impacts from polluted air. Annual emissions reductions include 1.196 tons PM2.5 and 12.548 tons NOX.