DEQ Announces Funding Opportunity for Railroad Operators to Curb Nitrogen Oxide Emissions

• Moira Davin
• November 03 2021

HELENA—A new funding opportunity for railroad operators to curb nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions opened this week. The Montana Department of Environmental Quality has a new grant program to repower switcher locomotive engines with cleaner engines in an effort to reduce diesel emissions and diesel fuel use while lowering NOx emissions.

“Besides vehicles, the railroad sector makes up most NOx emissions in Montana,” said Dan Lloyd, DEQ’s energy bureau chief. “DEQ is excited to offer this funding opportunity, the first of its kind in Montana.”

Nationally, the transportation sector is the main source of NOx emissions, which are the result of burning fuels. NOx is a poisonous gas that reacts with other pollutants in the atmosphere to contribute to smog and poor air quality. Reducing NOx emissions from transportation results in cleaner air and better health for all Montanans. Repowering one switcher engine could reduce nearly 10 tons of NOx emissions annually.

The grants are available for railroad operators and require non-federal matching funds of at least 60 percent of the total costs. The funding for the grant comes from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Settlement and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA). A total of $800,000 is available to repower locomotive engines with cleaner engines. Applications are due Jan. 14, 2022. For more information visit: Alternative Fuels & Transportation | Montana DEQ (mt.gov)