Federal funds aim to lower diesel emissions

A $212,343 federal grant will allow the Alaska Native village of Chalkyitsik, east of Fort Yukon, and south of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, to purchase new diesel generators that provide improved air quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Pacific Northwest Office announced the award on June 29. Chalkyitsik, with a population of fewer than 100 residents, has two Tier O generators, which are unregulated.  They are to be replaced with certified Tier 3 low emission generators.

“To ensure a sustainable future for the next generations, we need to do all we can to protect the health of our community,” said James Nathaniel Jr., tribal administrator of the Chalkyitsik Village Council.  “Replacement of the two older generators with new ones will help us do that.”

Since they’re not connected to the electrical grid, many rural communities in Alaska must generate their own electricity with highly reliable diesel generators that assure power 24 hours a day. Typically these are older, high emission, non-certified generators.

The generators in Chalkyitsik are close to homes, work places and the school, posing a health risk to many residents, including children, who suffer from chronic respiratory ailments. EPA officials said replacing the existing generators with the more efficient, low emission units will dramatically reduce fuel use and costs, as well as harmful emissions and health risks associated with diesel exhaust.

 

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