Air Loans, Grants, & Rebates

The objectives of the Grants, Planning, and Outreach Program are to support the Air Division permitting and compliance programs; administer the dispersion modeling and emission inventory programs; provide outreach to the public and regulated industry; coordinate EPA grant funding including the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grant program and maintain the air quality regulations.

The Grants, Planning, and Outreach Program maintains Title 129 - Nebraska Air Quality Regulations by developing and proposing air regulations to the Environmental Quality Council. Many of the regulations within Title 129 are adopted directly from the federal air regulations.

In addition, they develop state implementation plans that supply EPA with the Air Division’s strategy to maintain the air quality in the state. The Unit also provides EPA their planned activities to implement the federal and state air quality regulations.

The Division continues to devote significant resources to outreach activities. The Grants, Planning, and Outreach Program continues to maintain the AirNews page on the NDEE website and the AirNews Listserv. Additionally, the Planning Program maintains the Air Toxics and New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) Notebooks and develops fact sheets and guidance documents. These tools are designed to assist Nebraska businesses understand and comply with the Air Quality Regulations.

The Division hosts the annual Air Program Update Workshops for businesses, consultants, and industry representatives. These workshops are held across the state and general and technical information is provided on current events, regulations, permitting activities, and modeling activities pertaining to the Air Quality program.

The Grants, Planning, and Outreach Program is involved in various national and regional air pollution issues including Regional Haze and federal emission standards.