The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) is announcing an extension of the deadline for public and private organizations to submit proposals for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grant awards for diesel emission reduction activities. The new deadline for submitting proposals is 4:00 p.m. CDT July 31, 2009. NDEQ is extending the deadline to give potential applicants additional time to develop grant proposals.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded NDEQ a $1.73 million ARRA grant, aimed at reducing diesel emissions in the state of Nebraska. Any public or private organization or individual that has eligible diesel equipment and operates primarily in Nebraska is eligible to apply for and receive funds for assistance as part of this grant.

Any questions regarding the proposals must be submitted in writing (e-mail is acceptable) no later than 4:00 p.m. CDT July 17, 2009. Responses will be posted on NDEQ’s website. Grant awards will be announced by August 31, 2009.

For detailed information on preparing and submitting proposals, go to https://dee.nebraska.gov/home and click on the item in the middle of the homepage that says “NDEQ Recovery Fund Information Now Online,” or go to http://deq.ne.gov/NDEQProg.nsf/OnWeb/DERA.

Please direct all questions and requests to:

Gerry Allen, Project Coordinator
Nebraska Clean Diesel Grant Program
Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality
P.O. Box 98922
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509-8922
Telephone: (402) 471-2186
E-mail: NDEQ.moreinfo@nebraska.gov