More stimulus funds are flowing to states to help them reduce emissions from diesel engines and prop up their aging water infrastructures.
Some
$6 billion in funds from American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 will be distributed to states to strengthen water quality and wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. Meanwhile, another $88.2 million divided evenly and released to all 50 states and the District of Columbia to help reduce emissions from diesel engines.
Last week, each state and the District of Columbia received $1.73 million to cut diesel engine emissions to improve air quality. The states are using the funds in a variety of ways, such as school bus programs, idle reduction and truck retrofits.
Some specific examples of how states will use the money include:
• Oklahoma will put the funds toward the state's clean diesel school bus program for engine replacements and retrofits of school buses in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas
• Texas will use the money to retrofit school buses with exhaust controls to reduce particulate matter emissions.
• New Mexico will retrofit off-road vehicles owned and operated by Los Alamos, Albuquerque and Santa Fe.
• Arkansas, West Virgina, Louisiana will introduce engine upgrades and replacement, idle reduction and cleaner fuels for on-road and off-road equipment.
About $4 billion in stimulus funds is being sent to states for
wastewater infrastructure projects in the form of grants, low-interest loans and principle forgiveness. Another $2 billion will go toward
drinking water infrastructure.
In what the EPA is calling the single largest grant in the agency's history, for example, the state of New York will receive nearly $437 million for wastewater infrastructure projects to protect lakes, ponds and streams. Other large wastewater infrastructure grants include $283.1 million for California, $222.8 million for Ohio and $180.9 for Texas.
California and Texas will also receive $159 million and $160.6 million, respectively, for drinking water infrastructure projects, including improvements in urban and rural communities and pollution prevention to safeguard water supplies.
"Wastewater" -- CC licensed by Flickr user DefMo.
