The Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 awarded $275,000 to the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska on February 1, 2026, under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) National Grants program (CFDA 66.039) to replace a single Tier 2 emissions diesel tractor with a new Tier 4B/Stage V diesel tractor used in the tribe's buffalo management program.
The recipient will retire a 2006 CASE IH MXU130 with an EPA Tier 2 CNH 6.7L 131-horsepower six-cylinder diesel engine, purchased used in 2009 and deployed for fifteen years to feed the buffalo herd by moving bales, managing invasive plant species and roadsides via mowing, and providing wintertime access to pasture. The replacement tractor will reduce diesel emissions experienced by tribal members, the buffalo herd, employees, and the surrounding community in Niobrara, Nebraska, located in Knox County. The project area is designated a 78 percent demographic index, indicating it serves traditionally disadvantaged communities, and carries an EPA Ozone Environmental Justice Index of 73 percent, demonstrating elevated ground-level ozone production requiring diesel emission curtailment.
Period of performance runs from February 1, 2026, through January 31, 2027. Place of performance is Ponca, Nebraska 68770. No sub-recipients are included in this assistance agreement.