Project Green Fleet seeks upper Midwest railroads, equipment owners for funding opportunity

Project Green Fleet is seeking diesel-powered equipment fleet owners and operators in the upper Midwest — including railroads and parties that operate diesel equipment in rail yards — who are interested in obtaining federal funding for projects involving equipment designed to reduce air emissions and fuel consumption.

The funding can be applied to projects involving emission- and idle-reducing technologies for locomotives, medium or heavy-duty trucks, marine engines, school buses and non-road engines, such as equipment used in construction, logging, mining or port and rail operations. Projects also can involve the replacement of vehicles/equipment for locomotives.

The funding would cover 40 percent of the cost to install an auxiliary power unit, fuel operated heater or automatic shut-down/start-up system on a locomotive. In addition, the funding would cover 100 percent of the cost for a diesel particulate filter, and 40 percent of the cost for an eligible engine repower or upgrade project.

Funding partners will have minimal paperwork to complete and staff members will strive to make it as easy as possible to participate in the funding program, Project Green Fleet officials said in an email.

Project Green Fleet is an effort of the Environmental Initiative, a nonprofit, Minneapolis-based organization that builds partnerships with nonprofit, business and government leaders to solve environmental problems. Project Green Fleet has been working to reduce diesel emissions for the past eight years and has taken the equivalent of 350,000 cars off of roads annually.

Project Green Fleet is requesting contact from interested parties ASAP and will solicit interest until June 7. For more information, call Eric David at 612-334-3388, ext. 108, or send an email to edavid@environmental-initiative.org.