The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) awarded $174,048 to the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) to help with the cost of replacing 14 heavy-duty, diesel-powered trucks with 14 new compressed natural gas-fueled trucks.

LCSWMA is funding the installation of a new natural gas fueling station at its transfer complex, which will be used by the authority and open to the public. The authority is spending around $3.9 million on the project. The DEP’s contribution is from available clean diesel grant funds, which are from a September 2012 award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA).

LCSWMA anticipates it will reduce emissions by 173,508 lbs. of nitrogen oxides; 39,352 lbs. of particulate matter; 27,431 lbs. of volatile organic compounds; and 1,198 lbs. of sulfur oxides.

“Clean diesel grants improve air quality by funding projects that reduce diesel emissions,” DEP Secretary Mike Krancer said. “This project will displace 140,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year, reducing annual carbon dioxide emissions by more than five million pounds.”