PRESS RELEASE
from the Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy

For more information,contact
Carla Felix (402) 471-4223,
Amanda Woita (402) 471-4243,
Nathanael Urie (402) 471-4245, or
For Immediate Release
September 29, 2009


NDEQ Announces First Round of Grant Recipients Under the ARRA Clean Diesel Program

The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality today is announcing the recipients of over $1.1 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants. These grants are being allocated across the state for projects that reduce diesel emissions through a federal program called the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).

In April, NDEQ was allocated $1.73 million in ARRA-DERA funds, and the state accepted grant applications from across the state through July 31. Today, $1,164,060 in awards is being announced. The recipients of the remaining portion of the funds will be announced in about 30 days.

“There had been a tremendous response from across the state for these diesel reduction grants,” said NDEQ Director Mike Linder. “We received more than 300 applications, in total requesting over $11 million.”

Linder said these grants were ranked by a multi-agency state review committee. The priority system evaluated which projects would effectively reduce diesel emissions at a reasonable cost. The committee also gave priority to distributing the funds widely throughout the state. The grants can be used to purchase and install diesel emission reduction equipment and related technologies.

The award recipients being announced today are in the categories of General Industrial, Trucking, and Governmental Subdivisions. The Agriculture category is still under review and will be announced in the next 30 days. The amount of grants was capped at $39,900 per proposal, so that funds could be distributed to as many high-ranking proposals as possible. No entity received more than one grant.

The list of awardees are:
General Industrial:
Company Name
Location
Technology
Requested Amount
Grant Amount
Interstate Development
Edgar
Dredge engine
$46,622
$39,900
Stalp Gravel
West Point
Dredge engine
$52,984
$39,900

Trucking:
Company Name
Location
Technology
Requested Amount
Grant Amount
Aulick Industries
Scottsbluff
Tires
$534,000
$39,900
BMC Transportation
Neligh
Auxiliary power unit (APU)
$10,815
$10,815
D.L. Bittner Trucking,
Fremont
APU
$8,500
$8,500
Daws Trucking
Milford
APUs
$126,200
$39,900
Diversified Property Dev,
Ashland
APUs
$25,000
$25,000
Fremont Contract Carriers
Fremont
APUs
$207,000
$39,900
Fritzen Trucking
Beatrice
APUs
$266,880
$39,900
Gene Poling Trucking
Omaha
APUs
$22,125
$22,125
Gerald Nevill
York
APU
$7,500
$ 7,500
Golden Pacific, Inc
Omaha
APUs
$15,000
$15,000
Grand Island Express
Grand Island
Trailer skirts
$157,915
$39,900
H&M Trucking
Omaha
Trailer skirts, APUs
$990,000
$39,900
HP Inc
Omaha
APUs
$409,900
$39,900
Hemingway Enterprises
Omaha
APU
$ 7,249
$ 7,249
Hoffman Trucking
Meadow Grove
APU
$ 7,700
$ 7,700
James Seaman
Omaha
APUs
$31,380
$31,380
Hirschbach Motor Lines
South Sioux City
Engines
$200,475
$39,900
Larry Klimek Trucking
Grand Island
APUs, nose cones, tires
$124,966
$39,900
Michelle Henry LLC
Wisner
Engines, tires
$ 8,157
$ 8,157
Mijoytoy Transportation
Kearney
APU
$ 7,200
$ 7,200
Mitch Webb
Omaha
APU, tires
$12,033
$12,033
R & R Trucking, Lincoln
Lincoln
APUs
$58,000
$39,900
Raue Trucking
Decatur
APUs
$ 8,500
$ 8,500
Romans Motor Freight
Omaha
APUs
$152,900
$39,900
Rose’s Transport
Wakefield
APUs
$83,000
$39,900
Schulz Transportation
Lincoln
Engines
$114,000
$39,900
Select Vans & Storage
Omaha
Side skirts, tires
$14,749
$14,749
Shannon Trucking
Fremont
APUs
$20,223
$20,223
Skyway Transportation
Waverly
APUs
$126,320
$39,900
T & S Leasing
Grand Island
Trailer gap reducers
$88,428
$39,900
Tyler Hilkemann (GT Express)
Pierce
Engine, APU
$34,935
$34,935
Wild Card Trucking
Kearney
APUs
$ 8,300
$ 8,300
Willie Bess, Mayflower Transit
Omaha
APUs
$ 8,952
$ 8,952

Governmental Subdivisions:
Name
Location
Technology
Requested Amount
Grant Amount
Cedar Bluff Public School
Cedar Bluff
School Bus
$16,443
$16,443
Hall County Hwy Dept
Grand Island
Trucks
$61,750
$39,900
City of Omaha
Omaha
Tires
$32,236
$32,236
NMC/County Govts
Various
Engines
$200,000
$39,900
OPPD
Omaha
Dozer
$402,529
$39,900
Raymond Central Schools
Raymond
School Bus
$42,164
$39,900
Sterling Public Schools
Sterling
School Bus
$18,163
$18,163