Salem applies for state clean diesel grant
Salem — The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously Tuesday night to file for a state grant to reduce diesel emissions.
The grant would go toward replacing a 1991 Ford F350 truck in the town’s fleet.
First Selectman Kevin Lyden said it has been a good year-round work truck for the town, but the 25-year-old vehicle needs some work.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has about $189,000 available for grants, authorized by the federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Act under the EPA.
The grant can cover up to 25 percent of the cost of replacement for a diesel vehicle or other equipment, such as tractors — a new F350 would cost about $33,000 — but they have to be replaced with a comparable vehicle rather than switching to a gas-powered truck or the smaller F250 model.
The old vehicle also has to be taken off the road and brought to a salvage yard.
Lyden said he also applied for and received a grant for about $7,000 a few years ago to replace a diesel tractor.
The board will know by the end of October whether it received the grant.
If it does, the Board of Finance will have to do an additional appropriation for the remaining 75 percent.
“It's helpful in the environment, and it's helpful for the equipment purchase,” Lyden said.
The board also received notification that the Salem Volunteer Fire Company was declined for a FEMA grant to help pay to replace a 1991 firetruck.
Lyden commended both fire departments on stretching the lifespans of their fleets.
However, the aging truck was taken off the capital plan in the grant process, and he said that if the department doesn't get the grant next year, a new truck should be accounted for in the capital plan.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
