Governor Doyle: Governor Announces Wisconsin Receives $100,000 Grant for Clean Diesel Cooperative Project

Contacts:
Anne Lupardus, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162

Governor Jim Doyle today announced that the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources (DNR) has received $100,000 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
to fund a cooperative project under the National Clean Diesel Campaign, which aims
to reduce emissions from non-road, diesel-powered equipment.

“Wisconsin is a national leader on clean air and water standards, and this funding
will allow us to set additional, new voluntary standards for environmental
performance,” Governor Doyle said. “This grant is a great step forward in reducing
emissions and maintaining Wisconsin’s long-standing commitment to protecting our
great natural areas and environment.”

Through the Clean Diesel Cooperative Project, diesel oxidation catalyst mufflers
will be installed on a variety of off-road equipment, such as bulldozers, scrapers,
endloaders, graders, skid-steerers, and hydraulic excavators. According to the DNR,
the anticipated average emissions reductions are 25 percent for particles, 70
percent for hydrocarbons (including toxics), and 70 percent for carbon monoxide.
Partners in the program will also use a cleaner-burning, low-sulfur diesel fuel in
their equipment. When the ultra- low-sulfur on-road diesel fuel becomes available
in mid-2006, there will be a voluntarily switch to this cleaner fuel.

All of the retrofit equipment has been tested for effectiveness by the EPA and the
California Air Resources Board. The equipment ranges in price from $1,000 to $8,000
and the funds from the cooperative agreement will pay for equipment purchase, with
the partners paying for installation. The goal is to purchase and install the
equipment by the spring of 2006 and then track its performance.

Besides the DNR, project participants include the City of Madison, Dane County,
Thieding Construction of Loganville and Miller Compressing of Milwaukee. These four
partners are seeking to provide superior environmental performance. The two public
sector partners – the City of Madison and Dane County – are members of the Dane
County Clean Air Coalition, and the private sector companies – Thieding and Miller –
are developing or cooperating with Green Tier relationships that commit
organizations to superior environmental performance.

The partners and the DNR will track performance and document the successes and
challenges of using retrofit devices on non-road equipment. Partners will then
share their experience with other businesses and organizations to encourage adoption
of similar practices.

More information on the EPA’s National Clean Diesel Campaign can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/diesel/awarded-grants.htm#grants-2005.