SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Utah Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has awarded $25.5 million to fund vehicle replacements in priority communities that are most in need of emission reductions across Utah, it was announced today, August 28.
These funds represent most of the $35 million that were allocated to Utah as part of the Volkswagen (VW) Environmental Mitigation Trust. Seven percent of the state’s $35 million settlement from Volkswagen remains to be spent before October 2027.
Of the vehicles to be replaced, 51 heavy-duty freight trucks and 23 school buses will be upgraded to the newest-generation diesel engine. In use since 2010, new-generation advanced technology diesel engines are equipped with the most advanced emissions control technology that is available: diesel particulate filters and selective catalytic reduction systems.
These technologies capture nearly all fine particle (PM) and virtually eliminate smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to near-zero levels. It would take 60 of today’s new-generation diesel trucks to generate the same emissions as a single truck that was manufactured in 1988.
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Diesel Replacement Projects in Utah
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Organization Quantity Category
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Bountiful City 2 Class 8 Local Freight Truck
Canyons School District 14 School Buses
Davis School District 2 School Buses
Jordan School District 3 School Buses
North Salt Lake City 1 Class 8 Local Freight Truck
Orem City 5 Class 5 & 8 Local Freight Trucks
Pleasant Grove City 5 Class 7 Local Freight Trucks
Salt Lake City Corp. 15 Class 7 & 8 Local Freight Trucks
Salt Lake Urban Search & Rescue 1 Class 8 Local Freight Truck
Tooele County School District 4 School Buses
Utah Dept. of Transportation 22 Class 8 Local Freight Truck
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“While heavy-duty diesel engine replacements only received 32 percent of the state’s funding in this round, these 74 vehicles will deliver the greatest emission reductions by far, even beyond zero-emission projects,” said Ezra Finkin, policy director for the Diesel Technology Forum, a nonprofit educational organization that raises awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel and technology.
Finkin observed that “The lower cost of new, advanced diesel technologies allows more vehicles to be replaced for the limited funds available, meaning a greater portion of the fleet can be upgraded to near-zero emissions technologies.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency concluded that investments in clean diesel technology are a more cost-effective strategy to immediately reduce NOx emissions from older vehicles and equipment than emerging alternatives such as battery-electric commercial trucks. Replacing a single older class 8 tractor with a new diesel option can eliminate over two tons of NOx emissions. https://www.dieselforum.org/vwfund
About the Diesel Technology Forum
The Diesel Technology Forum is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of diesel engines, fuel and technology. Forum members are leaders in clean diesel technology and represent the three key elements of the modern clean-diesel system: advanced engines, vehicles and equipment, cleaner diesel fuel and emissions-control systems. https://www.dieselforum.org
