Clean Diesel FY23 Funding

This Request for Applications seeks to select organizations that will join with Metropolitan Energy Center (MEC) in an aggregated competitive proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program for FY 2022-2023.

Maximum federal funding for MEC’s proposal is $3.5 million. MEC expects to select five to ten (5-10) projects for inclusion in its proposal to EPA, though we may select fewer or more.

Partnership applications under this RFA are limited to replacement of eligible diesel vehicles with alternative fuel or electric vehicles, the replacement of eligible diesel engines with alternative fuel or electric engines, the conversion of eligible diesel engines to run on alternative fuels, and/or the installation of electric parking spaces.

Follow-on activities including public engagement, workforce readiness training, and climate change mitigation planning are allowed and encouraged. All projects must achieve significant reductions in pollution emitted from diesel engines.

If MEC’s proposal to EPA is successful, selected projects will enter a contract agreement with MEC for their performance, beginning in July of 2024, and will be authorized to begin procurement work upon execution of agreement.

Important Dates

RFA Issue Date9/15/2023
Pre-Application Meeting10/5/2023 10:00am CST
RFA Questions Deadline10/27/2023
RFA Submission Deadline11/2/2023 2:00 PM CST
Expected Date for MEC Selection Notification11/7/2023
Expected Timeframe for Award Negotiation Award with MEC is fully contingent on a successful application to EPA. Estimated July 2024.

Request for Applications

MEC RFA guidance document (click to download PDF)

Application Form (click to download Fillable PDF)

Budget Table and Fleet Data Worksheet (click to download Excel file)

Fleet Data Dictionary, for informational purposes only (click to download Excel file)

Register for a Pre-Application Webinar

A Pre-Application meeting will be held on October 5, 2023, at 10:00AM CDT. During the meeting, MEC staff will conduct a walk-through of the RFA document. The meeting will be conducted online only; attendees should register for this meeting to receive join credentials or to receive a recording after the event.

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7757946671712157021

Applicants will have the opportunity to ask questions about the program and application process. The meeting will also be posted here afterward.

Staff Assistance

For assistance with applications, contact David Albrecht. David will not be involved in evaluating applications.

Questions and Answers

Applicants are also encouraged to submit questions in writing to Jeff Windsor. Questions will be accepted until October 27, 2023. MEC will try to
respond to all questions publicly via this web page. Emails should use the subject line: “Query for DERA RFA”.

  • Q1. In column F of the budget worksheet, what info should be put in "group type"? For the application, can you tell us a little more about what grantees should prepare to do for outreach and how often they should do outreach activities?

    A1. Group type refers to “on-road”, “off-road” or “locomotive”, and is a category tracked by EPA. The drop-down menu for the field on the Budget and Fleet Data Sheet constrains responses to one of these three. Additional information for all fleet data sheet fields is available in a new resource: “Fleet Data Dictionary,” linked above.
    Baseline outreach activities that selected grantees should be prepared to participate in include: 1. announce their participation in a release and 2. participate in webinars or in-person presentations to peers and decision-makers on the topic of operational functionality and/or experience participating in an MEC or DERA grant program. Other types of participatory outreach are welcome within the community of the deployment location.

  • Q2. Are there limitations on number of hours in use?

    A2. Yes, EPA imposes minimum annual key-on hours for off-road vehicles. The following language is from the EPA RFP associated with these funds:

    Nonroad Operating Hours: No funds awarded under this RFP shall be used to retrofit,
    replace or upgrade or replace a nonroad engine that operates less than 500 hours per year.
    Engine hours may be combined to reach the 500–hour threshold where two engines will be
    scrapped and replaced with a single engine.