NEW YORK (November 27, 2019) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a $1,832,567 Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant to the Connecticut Maritime Foundation, Inc. to curb harmful pollution from ferries in the greater New York and New Jersey area.
“Upgrading older marine engines will improve air quality and reduce harmful air pollutants for ferry commuters and port communities in New York and northern New Jersey,” said EPA Regional Administrator Pete Lopez.
“EPA’s DERA funding to public and private entities allows it to strengthen partnerships and invest in innovative technologies that will benefit both the environment and the economy.”
EPA’s funding to the Connecticut Maritime Foundation will replace six marine diesel engines on a SeaStreak passenger ferry that operates in the waterways between New Jersey and New York City metropolitan area. The ferry, which has a capacity to carry 505 passengers, currently operates approximately 4,500 hours per year and transports an estimated 50,000 – 100,000 passengers annually between Highlands, NJ and Manhattan. Replacement of the vessel engines is expected to be completed by the end of June 2021.
The replacement of existing marine diesel engines with new, cleaner engines will reduce emissions of diesel particulate matter and other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and carbon dioxide, providing important public health and air quality benefits.
Exposure to diesel exhaust can lead to serious health conditions, like asthma and respiratory illnesses and can worsen existing heart and lung disease, especially in children and the elderly. EPA’s Diesel Emission Quantifier estimates the health benefit of this project as avoiding approximately $21.2 million in annual health care-related costs attributable to diesel emissions.
In FY 2019, EPA awarded over $89 million in DERA funding for state, national, and tribal grants to reduce emissions from a variety of diesel emission sources, including school buses, trucks, locomotive, marine engines, and other nonroad equipment.
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