Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs):

Project Bank: Project Detail

Project Description

Cascade Sierra Solutions (CSS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving fuel and reducing emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks. Based in Coburg, Lane County, we focus on the I-5 corridor in Oregon, Washington and California. Using the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Smartway™ technology, we install energy efficient truck upgrades that reduce fuel consumption by 25%. Diesel emissions in the U.S. cause 410,000 asthma attacks, 27,000 non-fatal heart attacks and 21,000 deaths each year (seven times as many deaths as the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks). We eliminate 89% of the most toxic diesel emissions that cost Oregonians $2 million a year in health and environmental expenses, in addition to the non-financial human costs of fossil fuels including respiratory disease, cancer, global warming and global conflict. We recently received an Environmental Excellence Award from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration for our dedication. We are seeking financial support for our revolving microloan fund, which will provide low-interest loans to truckers operating diesel trucks primarily in Lane County for our upgrades. This is a renewable resource of money that will be used many times rather than being spent just once. High interest rates and restrictive lending are a significant barrier to our mission. Your contribution helps overcome this barrier. Contribution will go only to those trucks operating primarily in Lane County and not to trucks that operate a significant portion of vehicle miles outside of Lane County.

Expected Environmental Benefit

Our five-year mission is to upgrade 30,000 trucks, saving 1.5 billion gallons of fuel, equal to twenty-four times the cargo capacity of the Exxon Valdez. This savings reduces America’s dependence on foreign oil, cuts greenhouse gas emissions, improves air quality and will contribute over $875 million to our domestic economy. We make efficient use of funds to achieve our goals. For each $1,296 we raise, we can leverage financing to upgrade two trucks over five years. This means saving 100,000 gallons of fuel and over 1000 metric tons of greenhouse gases and toxic emissions (incl. carbon dioxide, NOx, PM, CO, hydrocarbons) over the life of the two trucks. Each truck we upgrade saves the same amount of fuel and greenhouse gases each year as 16 Toyota Priuses. The average lifetime diesel soot cancer risk for residents of Lane County is 1 in 7,052. By contributing to Cascade Sierra Solutions, you will not only be reducing the risks of diesel pollution that disproportionately affect children, the elderly, the poor and minorities in your community; you will also reduce global warming and increase America’s energy security.