CHICAGO, IL – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 5 has awarded a $50,000 grant to the Wisconsin Department of Commerce for a project to cut emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks that operate in Wisconsin.

“Heavy-duty trucks are the workhorses of our transportation economy,” said EPA Region 5 Administrator Mary Gade. “This grant will help truckers reduce air pollution in the communities they serve.”

EPA said the grant will be used to upgrade up to 25 trucks with emission reduction equipment. Cost per truck ranges from about $2,000 for diesel oxidation catalysts to about $12,000 for diesel particulate filters. The grant is part of Region 5’s Midwest Clean Diesel Initiative, a collaboration of federal, state, and local agencies, along with communities, non-profit organizations, and private companies working together to reduce emissions from diesel engines in the Midwest. MCDI estimates there are more than 3 million engines in the Midwest that would benefit from new pollution-reduction technology.

The retrofits will complement the state’s idle reduction grant program that provides funds to install an alternative source of power to heat, cool, or provide electricity to the cab or other parts of the truck. This lets the trucker shut down the main engine to save fuel and cut diesel emissions.