The New Hampshire Department of Transportation (NHDOT) has been awarded $789,750 in Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Grants to help replace 18 wheeled front end loaders, one motor grader and two pavement striping trucks with EPA-certified model year 2017/2018 vehicles and equipment. The EPA funds are expected to assist with about 25 percent of the overall cost of the new vehicles.
Bill Boynton, of the NHDOT Public Affairs Office, said the new equipment will “hopefully” come on line in 2018.
“The new equipment and vehicles will be used by the NHDOT's Operations Division for ongoing highway maintenance projects as part of the department's upgraded fleet,” Boynton said.
The grant was awarded through the EPA's State Clean Diesel Program under the EPA's annual Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). The funds will be used to reduce emissions from heavy duty diesel engines.
Older diesel engines emit large amounts of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. NHDOT said the EPA funds will be used to make the fleet more reliable, fuel efficient, and environmentally conscientious. The purchase of these new trucks and construction equipment with low emissions diesel engines will not only provide a benefit to air quality, but also benefit the overall general public statewide as these units will be used across the state to help keep New Hampshire's roads in good condition and safe.
Christopher M. Waszczuk, NHDOT deputy commissioner said the agency was “thrilled” to receive the grant to help fund the purchase of the new equipment.
“The purchase of these new trucks and construction equipment with low-emissions diesel engines will not only provide a benefit to air quality at a localized level, but also benefit the overall general public statewide as these units will be used across the state to help keep New Hampshire's roads safe and mobile,” said Waszczuk.
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