AMES, Iowa – Mar. 14, 2025 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is now accepting grant applications for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Fiscal Year 2024 Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) for diesel fleets in the state of Iowa.
As part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, DERA is designed to achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions among on-road or non-road vehicles and equipment, including school buses, medium- and heavy-duty transit buses and trucks, marine engines, locomotives, and nonroad engines, equipment, or vehicles.
Iowa school districts, transit systems, or company fleet managers should go to the DERA grant website to read the program information guide and find out more about the grant process. The website includes a list of previous DERA awards.
Applications are being accepted through May 9, 2025.
The total amount of available DERA funds in Iowa is $990,150 which includes a base grant amount of $396,060 and an Environmental Protection Agency incentive bonus of $198,030. In addition, the state is matching that base grant amount with monies from Iowa’s Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund settlement.
| FUNDING SOURCES | AMOUNT |
|---|---|
| EPA Base Allocation | $396,060 |
| Iowa’s Voluntary Match from VW Settlement Funds | $396,060 |
| EPA Matching Incentive Bonus | $198,030 |
| Total: | $990,150 |
Contact: Jared Smith at 515-239-1713 or jared.smith@iowadot.us