Kansas Diesel


The Kansas Department of Health and Environment established the Kansas Clean Diesel Program to use funds from the EPA for providing grants to help school districts, truck fleet owners, construction companies and other businesses install proven clean diesel technologies.

The Kansas Clean Diesel Program can help advance these technologies by offsetting costs associated with implementing diesel emissions reductions projects.

Six school districts in Kansas were recently selected to receive funds from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to help buy new school buses to replace old buses that are still in active use. The following districts have signed contracts with KDHE to receive up to $26,143.19 to apply toward a new bus purchase:

  • USD 107 Rock Hills

  • USD 258 Humboldt

  • USD 310 Fairfield

  • USD 329 Mill Creek Valley

  • USD 374 Sublette

  • USD 428 Great Bend

The goal of the awards is to help the schools reduce diesel pollutant levels of their bus fleets. Funding for the grants came from the EPA as part of the National Clean Diesel Campaign. The competition for the grants was held in 2012, and any school district in Kansas that owns its own bus fleet was eligible to apply. The following documents were published on the KDHE website prior to the grant competition:

More information about the Kansas Clean Diesel Program

Why diesel emissions reduction programs?

Because they are efficient and durable, diesel engines are an important source of power for many areas of our national economy. They are critical components of Kansas industries such as agriculture, railroads, natural gas and oil extraction, and transportation. But diesel engines also pose significant air quality challenges because the exhaust contains fine particles, nitrogen oxides and other chemicals that directly contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and also increase ground level ozone formation.

New federal standards aim to reduce emissions from diesel engines by up to 90% for heavy duty vehicles made in 2007 and beyond. Millions of diesel engines do not meet the new clean diesel standards, yet many could remain in service for 20 years or more. Several technologies are available to reduce emissions from these older engines, including new types of filters and new ways to reduce truck idling.

To help diesel equipment owners incorporate cleaner technologies, Congress passed the Diesel Emissions Reductions Act (DERA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency established the National Clean Diesel Campaign to help diesel equipment owners incorporate cleaner technologies. The States work in partnership with the EPA to reduce diesel emissions, improve fuel consumption, increase vehicle life and protect the environment.

Two types of diesel emission reduction grant opportunities for Kansans

  • Diesel Emissions Reduction Act State Funding Program in Kansas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) receives EPA funds, then solicits applications from Kansas diesel equipment and vehicle owners. KDHE evaluates the proposals and distributes money directly to the companies whose emissions reductions projects have been selected.

  • The second type of funding opportunity occurs when the EPA offers a national competition for air quality agencies. KDHE partners with a small number of public and/or private diesel fleet owners to submit a grant to EPA. KDHE competes with other states for funds, and the EPA selects the winners.

    Diesel owners can submit emissions reduction project ideas to KDHE for use in future grant rounds. KDHE will evaluate the applications and select a few as partners for applying for a grant from EPA. Companies that can contribute funds to the project have a better chance of being selected to participate with KDHE for the grant.

Pursuant to Section 792(d)(2) of the EPAct of 2005, no funds awarded under this RFP shall be used to fund the costs of emissions reductions that are mandated under Federal, State, Tribal or required by local law.

How future grants will be announced

KDHE will announce future grant rounds as they are announced to us by EPA. Some of the ways we let Kansas fleet owners know about upcoming grant competitions is by using the following resources: