Application period for clean truck and infrastructure grants extended through Sept. 3

ATTENTION DIESEL FLEET AND EQUIPMENT OWNERS! You can apply for a variety of grants to support efforts to reduce dirty transportation emissions across the state through Oregon DEQ’s 2025 Clean Trucks and Infrastructure program.

While the final date to submit your application was originally Friday, Aug. 15, that deadline has been extended to Wednesday, Sept. 3, at 5 p.m. (PDT). Applications, regardless of the grant, should be submitted through the DEQ Grants web portal. Previous award recipients may apply for additional funding.

Details on each of the grants are as follows:

• Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grants and Federal Diesel Emissions Reduction Funding 
  • Total: Approximately $9 million
  • Focus: To swap older diesel vehicles, engines or equipment for similar, newer, cleaner zero-emission vehicles, technologies or retrofit exhaust controls.
  • Eligibility: Oregon businesses, organizations, local governments and individuals with medium- and heavy-duty diesel fleets, model year 1992 – 2009.
  • Contact: Rhett Lawrence, AQ program analyst: rhett.lawrence@deq.oregon.gov 
• Oregon DEQ Clean Trucks Grant Program 
  • Total: Approximately $4.8 million
  • Focus: To scrap and replace diesel vehicles with new zero-emission vehicles.
  • Eligibility: Oregon businesses, organizations, local governments and individuals with medium- and heavy-duty diesel fleets, model year 1992 and newer.
  • Contact: Rhett Lawrence, AQ program analyst: rhett.lawrence@deq.oregon.gov
• Oregon Zero-Emission Fueling Infrastructure Grants 
  • Total: Approximately $3 million
  • Focus: To develop plans and install charging infrastructure for medium- and heavy-duty zero-emissions vehicle fleets.
  • Eligibility: Oregon businesses, organizations, local governments and individuals planning to install private and/or public charging infrastructure.
  • Contact: Tracie Weitzman, AQ program analyst: tracie.weitzman@deq.oregon.gov

More than $34 million is available to help purchase new zero-emissions trucks, replace or retrofit older, more polluting diesel engines, or develop medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicle charging and fueling infrastructure projects. Total funding includes approximately $17 million available for the new Zero-Emissions Rebates for Oregon Fleets program, also known as the ZERO Fleet Program, which will announce its open application period soon.

“We recognize that transitioning from older diesel vehicles to cleaner technologies can be challenging for many companies,” said Oregon DEQ Air Quality Transportation Strategies Section Manager Rachel Sakata. “This significant investment will support that transition, reduce harmful air pollution and help protect the health of communities across the state.”

Owners of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles requiring retrofits under DEQ’s Diesel Retrofit Compliance Program may also apply for funding to support the installation of diesel particulate filters. In addition, non-road equipment and fleet owners, i.e., those with diesel-powered machinery or vehicles involved in construction, may be interested in applying for a grant. If the project is awarded funding, it will improve the emissions profile for pursuing certification under DEQ’s Diesel Emissions Identification Program.

DEQ was provided approximately $72 million in funding assigned for grants through the Environmental Mitigation Trust Fund after Volkswagen was found to have cheated on emissions standards. There is $8 million available for this year’s Diesel Emissions Mitigation Grants. In addition, last summer, DEQ was awarded the Climate Equity and Resilience Through Action Grant, which provides additional funding for the Clean Trucks and Zero-Emission Fueling Infrastructure grants and the ZERO Fleet Rebates.

You can find links to a helpful User Guide on each grant’s web page. Applications, which should be submitted through the DEQ Grants web portal, must be received by DEQ no later than 5 p.m. (PDT) on Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2025. Finally, learn about past medium- and heavy-duty grant recipients and their transition to clean transportation at ordeq.org/DEMSuccessStories.

For more information on the grants and how to apply, please contact the program analysts listed above or email dieselgrants@deq.oregon.gov.

By Susan C. Mills, Oregon DEQ public affairs specialist