March 17, 2010
Vol. 40, No. 76

For more information, contact Philip Wheeler, Air Quality Management Section, 302-739-9402, or Joanna Wilson, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

DNREC partners with EPA to purchase new diesel engines
for Port of Wilmington cargo vehicles 

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) has partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to purchase four heavy duty diesel engine replacements to be installed in three large cargo loading vehicles and one construction vehicle owned and operated by the Port of Wilmington.

DNREC applied to EPA for funding under the federal Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) and received $69,453 to purchase and install the 300 hp engines from Johnson and Towers Inc. of New Jersey for the Diamond State Port Corporation, which operates the port. This funding was part of a grant program set up by EPA in 2008 to assist the states with projects to reduce harmful diesel emissions from highway and off-road vehicles.

“These EPA-certified Tier III replacement engines will run much cleaner than the current engines and will make a measurable difference in northern Delaware’s air quality,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “By taking the old diesel engines out of service, we anticipate an annual reduction of ozone-forming nitrogen oxides by approximately one and a half tons in addition to half a ton of harmful particulate matter.”

“We are pleased to provide funding to Delaware to make this investment in new cleaner, greener, more efficient heavy duty diesel engines at the Wilmington Port. This investment in new technology improves the air quality for Delaware, especially near its port,” said EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Shawn M. Garvin.

Two of the cargo loaders are heavy lifters about 30 years old, each with an 80,000-pound lift capacity. The third vehicle is a 30-year-old heavy duty front end loader. These three vehicles are used in the port’s shipping and loading facility to move cargo unloaded from ships to trucks or storage areas. The fourth is a construction payloader used by port maintenance to move snow and debris. Installation of the new engines is expected to begin in April and to be completed in early September.

“As a co-author of DERA and Chairman of the Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, I have stressed that retrofitting diesel engines is not only an economic stimulus, but also an important step to cleaning our nation's air and protecting our health,” said U.S. Senator Thomas Carper. “Since DERA’s enactment, the EPA estimates that for every dollar spent in the program, more than $13 of economic and health benefits are generated. Dirty diesel emissions are linked to 21,000 premature deaths, hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks, serious cardiovascular problems, and millions of lost work days. Reducing these types of emissions may be one of the most significant actions we can take in the short term to address global warming. I applaud DNREC, the EPA and the Port for working together to help us take one more important step towards cleaning up our air while stimulating our economy.”