The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ)
program provides funding for transportation projects that reduce
mobile source air emissions (e.g., cars, trucks, construction
equipment) in areas that do not meet federal air quality health
standards for ozone, microscopic particles or carbon monoxide.
Federal CMAQ funds are apportioned to the Tennessee Department
of Transportation (TDOT) to be invested by the state and local
metropolitan planning organizations in projects and programs
that help achieve and maintain federal air quality health
standards.
The primary purpose of the CMAQ program is to improve air
quality in areas designated by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) as “nonattainment” because air quality sometimes
does not meet air quality health standards for certain
pollutants, and the air is not always healthy to breathe. If the
air quality in a designated nonattainment area improves and the
area is reclassified as attaining the federal air quality health
standard, it then becomes a “maintenance” area and must continue
to take actions to maintain or keep air quality at a healthy
level.
In 2004, EPA designated all or portions of 18 Tennessee counties
as nonattainment for ozone and all or portions of six counties
as nonattainment for microscopic particles, or PM 2.5. Four of
these counties are nonattainment for both ozone and PM 2.5.
Under federal CMAQ guidelines, 16 Tennessee counties
are eligible to receive CMAQ funds.
Clean Transportation Innovations Incentives Fund
The 2005 federal transportation bill (SAFETEA-LU) directs state
transportation agencies to place priority on funding diesel
retrofits for on-road diesel vehicles and non-road
diesel-powered engines used in transportation-related
construction projects. TDOT established the Clean Transportation
Innovations Incentives Fund to encourage public and private
sector organizations to reduce harmful emissions from heavy-duty
diesel engines. TDOT is implementing three pilot partnership
projects to reduce heavy-duty diesel emissions in urban
nonattainment areas of the state. In each case, CMAQ will pay a
share of the costs of purchasing and installing retrofit
emission control equipment in on-road and off-road diesel
engines. TDOT will seek reductions in PM 2.5, carbon monoxide
and hydrocarbons through the installation of retrofit devices
(e.g., diesel oxidation catalysts), adoption of engine idling
reduction policies and use of cleaner burning biodiesel fuel.
Competitive funding opportunities will be listed below as funds become available.
CMAQ Project Applications
School Bus Pilot Diesel Retrofit Project
Application Deadline:
June 30, 2008
Diesel Retrofit Resources
Online links to resources pertaining to diesel retrofit
programs.
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