Maine's Clean Diesel Grant Program

In 2009, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) established the first statewide marine engine repower program in the nation to replace highly emitting unregulated marine engines with cleaner new EPA Tier 3 certified engines. As of July 2024, the Maine Clean Marine Engine Program, has awarded $6.6 million from the Diesel Emission Reduction Act to repower 180 commercial vessels, the majority of which are lobster boats, but also include research vessels, schooners, whale watch and excursion vessels, and tugboats. Since 2009 the program has been administered in a successful partnership with Maine Marine Trades Association.

This program has numerous benefits including 45% reduction in NOx of 99.69 tons/year, and a 73% reduction of 7.39 tons/year of PM, as well as economic stimulus in rural communities by potentially creating and retaining jobs for engine distributors and dealers, boatyards, fishermen and their co-ops.

The Maine DEP and its partner Maine Marine Trades Association (MMTA) reach out to boat yards for eligible applications. Eligible engines are not beyond their useful life and will operate for three more years. The Maine DEP selects applications based on a cost effectiveness formula for reducing NOx and PM calculated from annual fuel use, rated horsepower, engine emission factors and the cost of the new engine.

The vessels repowered include the historic Schooner Surprise as well as Merrymeeting, an excursion vessel used for lighthouse cruises on the Kennebec River owned and operated by Maine Maritime Museum.

Funding from the DERA 2021 FY grant funded thirteen fishing vessels including Romans Road from Harpswell which repowered at Jakes Repair Service in Cundy’s Harbor.

The Providian, a fishing trawler based out of Portland repowered in 2012.

2024 State DERA Grant

In November of 2025, DEP received new grant funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2024 FY State DERA projects will be funded by a combination of DEP's 2024 and 2023 State DERA allocations.

2023 State DERA Grant

In January of 2024, DEP received a new year of funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2023 FY State DERA projects are being funded by a combination of DEP's 2023 State DERA allocation, "DERA Option" matching funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust), and an EPA match incentive. The following new projects were selected for 2023 State DERA funding:

• O’Connor GMC, Inc.: up to $784,136 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of seventeen diesel school buses from seven school districts with California certified Low NOx, near zero emission, propane school buses.
• Maine Marine Trades Association, the administrator of Maine’s Clean Marine Engine Program received $290,000 to replace approximately ten marine engines on nine lobster boats and one excursion vessel, the Bennie Alice which serves the Cabbage Island lobster bakes.
• City of Presque Isle: $112,117 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of two diesel-powered ground support equipment with electric aircraft tugs. These aircraft pushback tugs replace existing diesel- powered ground support equipment used at Presque Isle International Airport. The largest of the two tugs is rated at 120,000 lbs., the second tug is in the 40,000 lbs. class. Aircraft tugs are specialized ground support vehicles that are used to safely push an aircraft backward away from the airport gate when it's ready for departure as well as to tow planes into and out of maintenance hangars for servicing. The funding includes costs for the EV charging equipment.

2022 State DERA Grant

In October of 2022, DEP received a new year of funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2022 FY State DERA projects are being funded by a combination of DEP's 2022 and 2021 State DERA allocations, "DERA Option" matching funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust), and an EPA match incentive. The following new projects were selected for 2022 State DERA funding:

• The City of Portland: $552,278 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of a 2001 diesel Crane Carrier refuse hauler with a Mack LR electric refuse hauler. The funding includes costs for the EV charging equipment.
• O’Connor GMC, Inc.: $186,030 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of four diesel school buses from three school districts with California certified Low NOx, near zero emission, propane school buses.

2021 State DERA Grant

In October of 2021, DEP received a new year of funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2021 FY State DERA projects are being funded by a combination of DEP's 2021 State DERA allocation, "DERA Option" matching funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust), and an EPA match incentive.

• Maine Marine Trades Association, the administrator of Maine’s Clean Marine Engine Program received $429,193 to replace thirteen marine engines on eleven lobster boats and two water taxis serving the mid-coast area.
• Cyr Bus Lines: $348,146 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of two diesel school buses with two new electric Thomas Freightliner school buses. The funding includes costs for the EV charging equipment.

2020 State DERA Grant

In September of 2020, DEP received a new year of funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2020 FY State DERA projects are being funded by a combination of DEP's 2019 and 2020 State DERA allocations, "DERA Option" matching funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust), and an EPA match incentive.

• Maine Marine Trades Association, the administrator of Maine’s Clean Marine Engine Program received $670,807 to repower twenty marine vessels, including fifteen lobster boats, an Eastport excursion vessel, a Portland whale watch vessel, the historic Schooner Surprise and Laura B, the mail boat for Monhegan Island, as well as Merrymeeting, an excursion vessel used for lighthouse cruises on the Kennebec River owned and operated by Maine Maritime Museum.
• Hissong Ready Mix: $124,688 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of three pre-2009 model year diesel class 8 concrete mixer trucks with cleaner diesel concrete mixers.
• W.C. Cressey and Sons: $100,000 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of five pre-2009 model-year diesel school buses with new, cleaner diesel buses that serve RSU 73/Livermore Falls.

2019 State DERA Grant

In September of 2019, DEP received a new year of funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2019 FY State DERA projects are being funded by a combination of DEP's 2019 DERA allocations, "DERA Option" matching funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust), and an EPA match incentive.

Ecomaine, a waste to energy facility, was awarded $531,100 to replace two diesel roll-off trucks with electric roll-off trucks for transporting incinerator ash to their landfill. Ecomaine was under contract with Lion Electric Company for two years to manufacture two electric roll-off trucks.

However, the two electric roll-off trucks could not be designed, manufactured and delivered by Lion Electric. The project was eventually withdrawn by Ecomaine. EPA amended the DEP Cooperative Agreement in August 2022 to reduce the state contribution and cost share amounts by $762,837.

• Maine Marine Trades Association, the administrator of Maine’s Clean Marine Engine Program received $500,000 to repower sixteen marine vessels including fifteen commercial lobster boats, and a marine patrol boat.
• First Student, Inc.: $44,012 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of two pre-2009 model year diesel school buses with new, cleaner diesel buses that serve the Augusta School District.
• Student Transportation of America: $58,857 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of three pre-2009 model-year diesel school buses with new, cleaner diesel buses that serve Wells.
• Sysco of Northern New England: $100,355 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of three pre-2009 model-year diesel class-8 short-haul combination freight trucks and one class-7 straight truck with cleaner diesel engine freight trucks.

2018 and 2017 State DERA Grant

In September of 2018, DEP received a new year of funding from EPA's State DERA program. The 2019 FY State DERA projects are being funded by a combination of DEP's 2017 and 2018 DERA allocations, "DERA Option" matching funds from the Volkswagen Diesel Emissions Environmental Mitigation Trust (VW Trust), and an EPA match incentive.

• Maine Marine Trades Association, the administrator of Maine’s Clean Marine Engine Program received $708,657 to repower twenty-nine marine vessels including twenty-five commercial lobster boats, a lobster smack that sells bait to fishermen and buys lobsters wholesale for the market, a small tugboat, the historic schooner American Eagle and steamship Katahdin operated by the Moosehead Marine Museum.
• RSU #73: $25,000 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of one pre-2009 model year diesel school bus with a new cleaner diesel bus that serves the Spruce Mountain School District.
• Student Transportation of America: $133,718 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of three pre-2009 model-year diesel school buses with new, cleaner diesel buses that serve Wells-Ogunquit.
• Sysco of Northern New England: $157,630 in grant funds for the scrappage and replacement of six pre-2009 model-year diesel class-8 short-haul combination freight trucks with cleaner diesel engine freight trucks.
  Sysco proposed to replace one class-7 straight truck with a cleaner diesel engine freight truck but due to supply shortages during the pandemic, the delivery was delayed beyond the grant deadline and did not receive funding.
• Perley S. Burpee: $2,856 for an auxiliary power unit to reduce diesel emissions from a class-8 long-haul combination freight truck.

Past State DERA Projects

Past National Competitive DERA Grants