Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands) will accept proposals requesting up to $4,000,000 in grant funds. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the availability of grant funding to implement projects aimed at reducing emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $44 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants. MORE

Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam). Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-16) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL-27) introduced the Open Fuel Standard Act ( H.R. 2493 ) which would require 30% of new automobiles in 2016, 50% in 2017, and 50% in each subsequent year, to operate on non-petroleum fuels in addition to or instead of petroleum based fuels. The bill also features original co-sponsors Reps. MORE

Under this root-cause theory, NHTSA gave the highest priority for airbag inflator replacement to model year 2008 or older vehicles which have been registered in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. MORE

Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands): EPA is requesting proposals between $500,000 and $4,400,000. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of $26 million in grant funding to establish clean diesel projects aimed at reducing emissions from the US’ existing fleet of diesel engines. MORE

This year for the first time, the following territories can now receive direct state allocation funds: Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded $50 million for clean diesel projects. These efforts will replace, retrofit or repower more than 8,000 older school buses, trucks, locomotives, vessels, and other diesel-powered machines. Diesel engines emit 7.3 MORE

Nationwide, 39 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam ban texting behind the wheel. Ten states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Guam prohibit all hand-held cell phone use while driving. US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released a “Blueprint for Ending Distracted Driving” that offers a strategy to address the growing and dangerous practice of driver’s use of handheld cell phones behind the wheel. MORE

So far 39 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands ban text messaging for all drivers. Also 10 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Virgin Islands prohibit all drivers from using handheld cell phones while driving. MORE

I live on an island (Guam where we get a significant rainfall. There are some low spots in our roads that end up under water, about 8-10 inches. MORE

On the second segment, the Dreamliner flew over Singapore, the Philippines and Guam before entering US airspace over Honolulu and returning to Seattle. Boeing has established two world records with the 787 Dreamliner, setting new marks for both speed and distance for the airplane’s weight class. The airplane is 20% more fuel efficient than similarly sized airplanes. MORE

Orange EV and Dependable Supply Chain Services announced the deployment of Orange EV pure electric terminal trucks (aka yard trucks, hostlers, spotters) as the first step in fulfilling the Dependable Highway Express (DHE) plan to transform its Ontario, California facility into a sustainable, energy-efficient, emission-free freight terminal. Launching their transition to a zero-emission facility, DHE replaced two diesel yard trucks with two Orange EV battery electric trucks. DHE, with support from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and additional project partners, will make further investments in electric forklifts, over-the-road electric trucks, and charging infrastructure, all powered with solar energy generated onsite. Orange EV’s Class 8 electric trucks, commercially deployed since 2015, are more than 400% more energy-efficient than their diesel counterparts. At moderate use sites, replacing one diesel yard truck with Orange EV electric trucks can eliminate 80 tons of CO 2 , along with NO x , particulate matter, and other criteria pollutants. DHE leveraged funds from CARB’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) to purchase its Orange EV trucks. Currently, HVIP funds enable Orange EV to provide discounts of up to $165,000 per T-Series electric terminal truck. CARB is in the process of transitioning terminal trucks into its Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE), where, in addition to discounts for these trucks, proposed funding will also include vouchers for charging equipment. Overall, the HVIP program has driven growth in the ultra-clean trucks market in California, helping to reduce air pollution and cut climate changing gases, especially in communities suffering from high-volume traffic. More than 50% of vehicles purchased through the program are operating in communities disproportionately burdened by harmful air pollutants. HVIP and CORE are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide initiative that puts billions of cap-and-trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health—particularly in disadvantaged communities. Projects include affordable housing, renewable energy, public transportation, zero-emission vehicles, environmental restoration, more sustainable agriculture, recycling and more. At least 35% of these investments are made in disadvantaged and low-income communities. Dependable Highway Express is a division of Dependable Supply Chain Services, a full-service logistics provider offering trucking (LTL/FTL), warehousing & distribution, harbor drayage, 3PL (third-party logistics), air freight forwarding, ocean freight forwarding, and freight transport to and from Hawaii & Guam. Electric (Battery) Heavy-duty MORE